Landmark liquor legislation that does away with private clubs and the so-called Zion Curtain is headed to the desk of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who is expected to sign it into law.
President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, praised Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, for working through a "masterful, history-making piece of legislation."
Senate Bill 187 was the culmination of weeks of negotiations with parties that had strong and often divergent views that Valentine said could have broken down -- and nearly did -- several times.
"There were many times when it would just fall apart and we thought we would never be able to come to an agreement," Valentine said in an interview.
The bill would do away with Utah's one-of-a-kind private club law, which requires patrons to buy a membership to enter a bar. Instead, those appearing to be under age 35 would have their driver license scanned to verify their age. The information would be stored on site for seven days. The private club measures would take effect July 1.
It would also require future restaurants to mix drinks away from the eyes of children, although existing restaurants would not have to change their layout. Restaurants could eliminate the "Zion Curtain," a barrier that prevents bartenders from serving a drink across the bar.
As part of the agreement, other bills would also be passed to toughen penalties on drunken drivers and underage drinkers and increase the liability for bars that serve intoxicated patrons.
Huntsman placed his marker before the session, stating it was one of his top priorities to "normalize" Utah's often antiquated and complicated liquor laws in order to boost the state's $6-billion-a-year tourism industry. More than half of Utahns supported doing away with private clubs, according to a poll by The Salt Lake Tribune before the session.
