LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Wednesday, the Michigan Senate approved legislation that would allow to-go cocktail sales, as well as outdoor drinking districts and other facets.
MLive reports that the bill, known as Senate Bill 942 was approved in a 37-1 vote, and has been submitted to the Michigan House for further review.
The idea of the measure is to help bars and other liquor licensees recoup lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sealed alcohol containers can already be purchased to-go or for delivery, but provisions are not made for drinks that are mixed in-house.
This legislation also makes provisions for licensees to receive a 30 percent discount at the state level until the end of 2021.
Further provisions established call for outdoor “social districts” in which drinks can be purchased from nearby bars and consumed outside, as long as the customer stays in that designated area.
While the bill heads to the next step, bars and restaurants have already opened this week, albeit with social distancing and sanitation measures in place.
Other measures taken to help licencees in the last few months included two periods that allowed businesses to sell liquor back to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.
