After something like a decade of earnest testimony and moneyless lobbying, it looks like the Maui Dance Advocates may finally–FINALLY!–win their fight to force the Maui County Department of Liquor Control to do something they’ve steadfastly refused to do: define “dancing.”
For many years, the LC has forced liquor licensees to regulate where and when customers may dance. And they’ve done so without ever defining the word “dancing” (or apparently understanding the irony of a department tasked with regulating alcohol even bothering about a subject like dancing).
But now this might just change, because the bill SB 868–introduced by a slew of senators including Maui’s own J. Kalani English, Roz Baker and Gil Keith-Agaran–has passed both the state Senate and House of Representatives (Maui County’s LC opposed the measure).
The bill does two things, according to Conference Committee Report No. 15 on the bill:
• “Authorize each county liquor commission to regulate dancing on licensed premises”
• “Require each county liquor commission that chooses to regulate dancing to adopt or amend rules regarding limitations on dancing in premises licensed to sell liquor for consumption thereon and define the term “dancing”, no later than October 1, 2015.”
The conference committee report neatly summarizes the bill as thus:
“Your Committee on Conference finds that this measure will provide each county liquor commission with the authority to regulate dancing on licensed premises and require each county liquor commission that regulates dancing to adopt or amend rules regarding dancing in premises licensed to sell liquor,” states the report. “Implementation of this measure will enable county liquor commissions to provide patrons with an understanding of and guidelines regarding any implemented dancing regulations.”
Can you believe it? We can’t either.
The bill is awaiting Governor David Ige’s signature or veto–and no, we have no idea what he’ll do.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
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