In a room just down the hall from the Vermont House chamber on Thursday afternoon, caterers prepared a reception where lawmakers would be treated to beer, wine and snacks.
But inside the chamber itself, members busied themselves saying no to happy hour for the rest of Vermont. By a tally of 69-49, legislators voted down an amendment that would have changed state law and allowed bars to offer short-term drink specials.
Rep. Oliver Olsen (I-Londonderry), who represents several ski towns, sought to do away with the Puritan statute. Vermont is one of 11 states, including notoriously dry Utah, that don’t allow happy hour, Olsen said.
He called his amendment “an economic development issue,” noting that Vermont is increasingly a culinary destination. His proposal would have allowed bars to offer discounts for two hours or less at a time on beer or wine, but not hard liquor.
Illinois made a similar change and increased its liquor tax revenues by $93 million in the first four months of 2016, Olsen said.
Olsen had tripartisan support, but the majority of the House balked — for what mostly appeared to be logistical reasons.
Rep. Tom Stevens (D-Waterbury) said the underlying bill that Olsen hoped to amend was limited to technical changes that needed to be made to state law. Lawmakers specifically avoided adding any substantive liquor law changes to prevent confusion or controversy, he said.
Stevens, vice chair of the House General, Housing and Military Affairs Committee, said that deciding whether the state should permit happy hours would require more research. “It was clear we don’t know when or why we stopped doing happy hour and why we would want to start,” he said.
Stevens said the decision did not close the door on doing that research. And the panel will likely get the chance to try again. Within minutes of happy hour’s defeat, Rep. Heidi Scheuermann (R-Stowe) was adding Olsen’s provision to another pending liquor bill that would, among other things, allow breweries to sell kegs.
For now, happiness knows no hour. Drinks will continue to cost you the same no matter what time of day you belly up to the bar.
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It’s time to put these out dated laws to rest and let businesses in the state make money. In a state where the governor recommend people take a “powder day” it’s time to allow happy hour. After all nothing caps off a great day on the slopes or a long day in the office like a nice cheap beverage.
Good lord can the Vermont Legislature ever come across an idea and react with anything other than “let’s study this to death”?
I’ll drink to that!
“It was clear we don’t know when or why we stopped doing happy hour and why we would want to start,” he said. Why not ask your Department of Liquor and Control Board. They enacted the ban as an effort to curb “rapid and excessive” alcohol consumption by post-work crowds.
It absolutely boggles my mind that Happy Hours are a bad thing, yet the State is considering legalizing heroin injection sites.
http://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/under-s…
“In a room just down the hall from the Vermont House chamber on Thursday afternoon, caterers prepared a reception where lawmakers would be treated to beer, wine and snacks.” and you know it’s free for them..the taxpayers don’t mind.. Yup that’s the liberal lawmakers (legislators ) for you!!! ok for them to have Happy Hour but not the lowly public..ok for them but not us..wouldn’t you call that double standers?? But you want to inject heroin into yourself that’s fine, we’ll even give you a safe place to do it and watch you do it….Nothing like the liberal legislators telling you how to live, what you can do, but the laws doesn’t apply to them..