Proposal to Overturn Private Club Membership Law Unlikely to Get Majority Support

Aug 01, 2008 by Elizabeth Ziegler

(KCPW News) While the Governor supports it, and the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control just approved it, the Legislature will ultimately decide the fate of a proposal to get rid of the state's members-only private club law. Senate President John Valentine says it's unlikely the Republican majority would support such a move.

"The changes that are being proposed are probably outside of what we would consider reasonable at this time," Valentine says. "But we really need to look at that as we look at the public policy concerns of overconsumption and youth consumption of alcohol."

Valentine says he's intrigued by the concept of granting tourists free two-week passes to private clubs, which was proposed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving and has the support of Speaker of the House of Representatives Greg Curtis. The proposal addresses the concerns of the hospitality industry and Governor Jon Huntsman that the private club membership requirement discourages tourism and economic development. It's difficult to gauge whether the current law indeed impacts tourism, Valentine says, citing dry counties in the south that continue to attract tourists. As for economic development, he says:

"I've actually participated in a number of discussions with businesses, and they are worried about tax policy, the education of the workforce, they're worried about transportation and the infrastructure. Is there enough clean air? Is there enough clean water? Can we move our goods and services around? They never ask me about alcohol policy," Valentine says.

He anticipates several bills will address the membership requirement during the next legislative session. The DABC's proposal is being revised to address concerns aired during the two public hearings held in June and at Wednesday's Commission meeting. The changes will be considered at the next meeting, August 27.

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