At its meeting this week, the commission instructed staff members to draft sample legislation that would abolish state-mandated membership fees for drinking establishments, effectively turning private clubs into public bars. Draft legislation that would take down the so-called Zion curtains - partitions that divide bars from dining areas in restaurants - was also requested.
Why the welcome change of heart? A multi-pronged attack on intolerance by state hospitality and tourism officials, Gov. Jon Huntsman and Beehive State imbibers has traditional opponents of looser liquor laws on their heels.
There are still obstacles to removing the obstacles to social drinking.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which places alcohol off-limits to members and has traditionally been quick to denounce liquor law overhauls, is waiting to see proposed legislation before weighing in.
The Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization, typically a strong opponent of looser liquor laws, is seeking a compromise. With a nod from Utah House Speaker Greg Curtis, the group is lobbying for a law that would appease the hospitality industry by exempting tourists from club fees while forcing residents to continue to pay the tab.
And the mostly Mormon state Legislature, which favors free enterprise as long as it doesn't involve alcohol, would have to approve the proposals. It should.
The private club requirements are an insult to locals, who simply seek a legal beverage in a public setting without paying what amounts to an admission fee.
They're a turnoff for thirsty tourists, who recoil at the obstacles placed in their path to a drink, and leave believing they have been to Oz.
They're a source of frustration for servers, bartenders and door attendants, forced to explain liquor laws that stagger the imagination and defy common sense. (To call the codes quirky is being kind.)
They're a drag on our slowing economy, which is increasingly driven by tourism.
And they're just plain silly. Membership fees don't deter overconsumption. Servers do.
The time has come for Utah to set aside its childish laws and allow adults to have a drink.
