Nothing Good Ever Happens After 2AM

Nowadays it isn't often that Democratic and Republican legislators can agree on policy issues. Taxes, abortion rights, election integrity, and social equity issues can and do generate disagreements, sometimes heated on both the state and national level.

Sometimes, just sometimes however, an issue arises that finds near unanimous agreement among the pols in Hartford-

Enter State Representative Christopher Rosario.

Earlier in the session, Rosario (D-Bridgeport) introduced HR. 5024 "An Act Establishing a Pilot Program Extending The Operating Hours of Certain Alcoholic Liquor Pennittees". Under this proposed legislation, bars and restaurants in or adjacent to Connecticut's most populated municipalities would be allowed to remain open and serve alcoholic liquor until 4am. Currently the cut off times are 1am during the week and 2am on weekends.

Rosario's bill would allow extend hours of service in Bridgeport, Danbury, Hartford, New Haven, New London, Norwalk, Stamford, Waterbury, and West Hartford.

The bill was introduced and assigned to the General Law Committee of the Connecticut legislature. But the bill was never called up for public discussion by committee leadership, never co-sponsored by any other legislator, never supported by impacted local officials, and was never endorsed by any published letters of testimony in support of the bill.

In response to media inquiries, ML Rosario cited a "detrimental and devastating impact" from the coronavirus and continue to struggle today, as a basis for his proposal.

Legislative leaders and law enforcement officials cited concerns that if this proposal passed, it would likely result in an increased number of highway accidents and a need to increase police resources to meet the later closing times of bars and restaurants.

Needless to say, the bill "died" in committee, for now.  In previous years, Rosario introduced similar legislation, and somehow a version of the bill was included into a budget "implementer" at the end of its session, even though it was removed at the last minute and never went to a vote.

It may well be that Rosario is playing the long game, counting on that attitudes change over time.

As quoted in the press, Rosario said " Everybody, five years ago, was very cool to cannabis. Whenever there's something new, whenever there's change, they're cool to it. Right now, you can go and I can go to a dispensary and get cannabis. Never say never."

We shall see.

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