N.H. House approves bill allowing bars to stay open an extra hour
By Associated Press
NASHUA, N.H. - The House has overwhelmingly supported a bill that would allow bars to stay open until 2 a.m., an hour later then they currently do.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Robert Theberge, D-Berlin, passed the House by a vote of 267-89 on Thursday. It now goes to the Senate.
The New Hampshire State Liquor Commission does not support the measure. Eddie Edwards, chief of the bureau of enforcement and licensing, said it would strain the agency and local police departments.
?We?re not in favor of the law, but I understand that the law does offer a certain level of control by the commission,? Edwards said, referring to a provision added by the House Commerce Committee allowing the liquor commission to restrict bars with liquor violations from serving alcohol past 1 a.m.
Peter Thomson, New Hampshire Highway Safety Agency coordinator, said keeping the bars open later could increase the likelihood of people driving while intoxicated.
?You can absorb more alcohol in that hour, and you?re going to be an hour more tired and not as alert,? Thomson said.
State Police Capt. Mike Hambrook said if the bill passes, it would be up to the liquor commission and local establishments to control over-serving.
?From a law enforcement perspective, I would be more concerned with the over-serving than the hours,? Hambrook said. ?Even if bars were open until 10 p.m., there?s the potential to over-serve.?
Some bar managers were pleased to hear the news.
?Sometimes the nights don?t start until really late and an extra hour would be good,? said Brian Winn, manager of 603 Lounge in Nashua. Regarding over-serving, Winn said his bar, like most, has a policy not to serve people who are obviously intoxicated, no matter what time it is.
In Hudson, resident Bob Higgins, 63, who was sipping a beer at T-Bones restaurant, said he agreed with the bill, stating that the law should probably be the same as in Massachusetts, just to keep people in the state.
