Bar hours could extend with new legislation
By Brittany Shammas (Last updated: 10/11/09 11:09pm)For years, 2 a.m. in East Lansing has meant slamming car doors, people talking, yelling and all of the other noises of the bar crowd retiring for the night.
But the problem hour, which has spurred complaints from neighborhoods in the downtown area for years, could shift two hours later under legislation approved Thursday by a Michigan House of Representatives committee that would allow bars and liquor stores to purchase a $1,500 permit to stay open until 4 a.m.
The legislation also includes a separate $1,500 permit for businesses to serve alcohol as early as 7 a.m. every day, including Sunday.
The legislation was proposed as a way to raise funds for Michigan’s struggling $40 billion budget, which faces a $2.8 billion deficit. State revenues could increase by about $13 million per year with the money from the permits, said Liz Boyd, a spokeswoman for Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
The money could be used to help fund college scholarships, including the Michigan Promise Scholarship, and a community government could decide not to allow the extended hours, she said.
State Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, said selling the permits is an idea worth looking at as an option in a difficult economic climate.
“At this point in time, we’re looking for any potential revenue we can get our hands on because, obviously, we want to keep our promise on the Promise Scholarship, keep libraries open, fund K-12 to the greatest extent possible, keep funding available for that group of people that need Medicaid,” he said. “We are confronted with horrible economic circumstance here, so we’re looking at everything. ”
But many people question the negative consequences of keeping bars open later.
Passing the legislation could reflect poorly upon the state government, said state Rep. Brian Calley, R-Portland, an opponent of the bill.
“What would the state be saying by doing this?” he said. “It would be kind of odd for the state to try and balance the budget through increased consumption of alcohol.”
Allowing bars to stay open later could put a burden on local law enforcement, as more calls for service likely would occur later in the night, Calley and Meadows said.
And Calley doubted most bar owners would be willing to foot the $1,500 required to purchase a license.
Bar and restaurant owners have mixed reactions to the legislation, Michigan Food and Beverage Association President Ed Deeb said. Deeb said he feels $1,500 is too much to pay for extended hours.
Pat Riley, owner of Harper’s Restaurant & Brewpub, 131 Albert Ave., said he would not purchase a license because people simply would arrive at the bar later in the night, creating no increase in his business.
“There’s enough trouble in town,” said Joe Bell, owner of The Peanut Barrel Restaurant, 521 E. Grand River Ave. “Nothing good happens after 2 a.m.”
Spanish and comparative cultures and politics senior Ashley Porter, who spent nine months in Europe, where bars stay open until at least 6 a.m., said extending hours could have positive effects.
“In Europe, people stayed out until 6 and no one was dying in the streets like they do on college campuses,” she said. “In fact, maybe it would promote sobering up while you’re at a bar.”
Originally Published: 10/11/09 11:09pm
Jim
10/12/09 6:19amThese people you’ve interviewed are idiots. Let the market regulate itself. If you let the bars stay open later, less people will flood the streets at 2AM causing all the problems… It’s amazing what a free-market economy can accomplish.
IzzoForPope
10/12/09 7:41amSince I am living abroad, most bars are open until 4am or later with no problems. I think it helps reduce binge drinking in my own personnal experience.
student
10/12/09 9:46amWhile I do find it funny that in order to keep our school scholarships bars are going to be open longer and liquor stores open later, many places in the US and overseas (as IzzoForPope stated) are open until 4am. It’s not that absurd of a change…
David
10/12/09 9:56amAnd $1,500 is too much to pay? If that is not an annual cost, they need to say so, because if it is annual that is less than $5 per day for an opportunity to sell an extra two hours of beer, nachos, popcorn, hot wings, etc. I’m with Jim—they didn’t interview the sharpest knives in the drawer.
agree
10/12/09 10:29amthe bars are open pretty early on a friday, but still, students don’t show up until 10pm. if they want more bar time, just show up earlier. do you really need to stay up until 4am drinking? it will also just cause more alcohol related problems on the streets of e.l. sounds like a bad idea.
student
10/12/09 11:30amThe reason why drinking is not a problem in other countries is because its simply another culture regarding alcohol. The US is too immature to have bars open that long. The US sees alcohol as a prized possession for getting “hammered” every Th, Fr and Saturday night. In other countries, alcohol is just an accessory to a party, a complement, but not the party itself. The US has a lot to learn regarding alcohol consumption and a lot to change regarding perceptions and ideas around it.
...View full comment »
ben
10/12/09 1:11pmI would have to agree to David’s above comment. If this is a $1500 annual fee then OFCOURSE every bar owner would do it. And if this isnt an annual fee then the State News has failed us once again with an article that is lacking all of the information.
tedman
10/12/09 1:53pmThe city of EL will never allow it’s bars to get that license. In fact if it had it’s way, bars would close at 10PM.
Also I doubt highly that the fees would be applied to education. Give me a break.
Playa
10/12/09 7:57pmStudent- the US does have bars open that long. here in NY, bars are open until 4 AM. i’m not disagreeing, but just saying…
also, it won’t cause many more problems, all the problems that happen at two will just happen at four instead.
city council
10/12/09 8:02pmI will, like I have been doing since the ’99 riots, do everything in my power to ruin East Lansing for everyone. I hate Michigan State and I wish it weren’t in my city. I’d give every dollar to our bloated code and police force to keep these pests in line. Students today are all just a bunch of hooligans. When I was in (not college)school we didn’t have time to drink… though history would later show alcohol related spousal abuse to have been peaking.
...View full comment »
Erin
10/12/09 9:28pmraising more money sounds like a good idea to me.
Honestly I never understood why we needed the government to tell us at what hours we can buy alcohol, anyways.
student
10/12/09 9:48pmIt looks like some people can see the reality behind this.
This could raise more money if businesses buy the new permit, but what consequences would this have? First, people have more time to drink which means that they will get more drunk and could cause health problems. Second, when you have a lot of severely drunk people that’s not a good equation in terms of security and behavior.
...View full comment »
Experienced Drinker
10/12/09 11:12pmDear Student, I am guessing you probably haven’t spent a lot of time drinking at bars (which is probably a good thing). But let me tell you, if people want to get wasted before 2, they can. In fact usually by 2 most people are slowing down because they are tired. Yes some people do get more drunk between 2 and 4, but that is the exception rather than the rule. Also, if you want this country to view alcohol differently the answer is less laws, and it will be less taboo.
...View full comment »