BROCK VERGAKIS Associated Press writer | Posted: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 12:00 am
SALT LAKE CITY - Efforts to bring Utah's liquor laws in line with the rest of the country took a major hit Wednesday when the state chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving said it opposes repeal of a law that forces bar customers to buy a membership.
Utah is alone in requiring people to pay a fee, $4 to $12, and fill out an application before entering a bar that serves liquor.
During a public hearing, MADD's Utah lobbyist told liquor regulators that the state needs to keep a record of everyone who enters a bar in case of a drunken-driving incident.
"We have a right to know where someone's been drinking," Jaynie Brown told The Associated Press after the hearing.
Private clubs are required to keep a record of its members. But contrary to Brown's statement, customers don't have to sign in each time. There's also no requirement to keep a record of a member's guests on any given night.
Memberships aren't required in Utah's beer-only taverns or restaurants that serve liquor.
Utah has some of the nation's most complex and strictest liquor laws, a legacy that goes back to the state's settlement by Mormon pioneers.
Today, about 62 percent of residents are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which tells its flock to not drink alcohol. Mormon lawmakers also comprise 80 percent to 90 percent of the Legislature.
And it is lawmakers who would have to change the law.
Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, considers MADD a key group in any debate over liquor laws. He has said he's opposed to repealing private-club memberships but could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.
In May, the Utah Hospitality Association said it would collect signatures to put a repeal on the 2010 ballot.
Gov. Jon Huntsman subsequently declared that he would try to eliminate private clubs through a new law before 2010. The public hearing Wednesday was held by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission.
Bar owners complain that tourists are offended when told they have to buy a membership just to walk in. Clubs that serve food say they lose business to people who want a bite but no alcohol.
"I'm the best cook in this town," said Ernest Hughes, owner of the club Faces. "Because of the law, when a person walks into my establishment, I have to sell them a club card. They can't even eat. If you don't pay that $5 thing up front, I can't do a thing for you."
The private-club rule was created in the late 1960s as a way to accommodate people who drink while shielding non-drinkers from liquor.
A resulting patchwork of laws over four decades has baffled tourists and frustrated locals who drink, with both complaining about the hurdles just to get a cocktail. Of Utah's quirky liquor laws, none has drawn as much ire as the one requiring memberships.
"It's not a perception - it's a reality that it's odd," Nate Daniels of Bountiful told the liquor board. "It doesn't make sense."
The governor, who is Mormon, says strict liquor laws are a hindrance to economic development and Utah's $6 billion tourism industry.
But getting legislators to repeal private clubs won't be easy. Brown of MADD, for example, is influential at the Capitol, and her stance will be taken seriously.
Meanwhile, some lawmakers are waiting for a signal from the Mormon church. Others argue that paying a membership fee and filling out a form reduces underage drinking and drunken driving.
Many people agree, although only a few showed up at the public hearing.
"Utah's current alcohol laws provide a measure of safety to our communities, but also send a message to our youth that alcohol is a potentially dangerous controlled substance," said Laura Bunker of Bountiful.
"We spend millions of dollars telling them to 'just say no' to drugs and alcohol," she said. "Relaxing Utah's alcohol law now would be telling them, 'It's OK to say yes if it brings in money."'