Alcohol is always a touchy issue in the Utah Legislature.

This session is no different. But Tuesday afternoon a rural lawmaker who wanted an official task force to study alcohol issues this coming year did an about-face, substituting his bill with one that will study tourism in the state instead.

In short, the move by sponsor Rep. Dave Ure walks away from talking about liquor between now and the 2006 Legislature to a stance of not talking about it at all.

Why the change, Ure was asked?

"I won't say. You can surmise," said Ure, R-Kamas, smiling.

Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson has already lamented this legislative session about one liquor bill being squashed. That potential bill was never introduced because its sponsor, Karen Hale, D-Salt Lake City, got wind that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, among others, opposed it.

The bill would've given local city councils and the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control the ability, under certain circumstances, to allow schools to open within 600 feet of a bar or private club. The law would allow schools to open downtown without restricting the city's economic development efforts to attract new businesses, including private clubs, downtown.

The Legislature has often shied from discussing liquor law reform and has consulted the LDS Church, which historically has taken a great interest in alcohol law in Utah, when it has considered potential changes.

"I can't think of one thing, particularly in the area of alcohol control, that has ever been subjected to input by the LDS Church where the Legislature or the City Council took a different direction," Anderson said last week.

Asked point blank if he feared a legislative task force — which must take general public comment — would become a stage for Anderson to take out after Utah liquor law again, Ure denied that was part of his change.

"Rocky would have nothing to do with any task force, that's for sure, wouldn't be on it," said Ure.

Considering the Anderson/church/overall-liquor-sensitive issue, is now just a bad time to highlight Utah liquor law, Ure was asked?

"I won't say," Ure replied.

House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, presiding over the Tuesday afternoon session, was asked by House Majority Leader Jeff Alexander to rule on whether Ure's substitution was even legal.

Internal House rules say you can only substitute one bill for another if the substitute bill has some relation to the original measure.

"Is alcohol related to tourism?" asked Alexander, R-Provo.

Curtis ruled the substitution in order, saying with a grin that the two issues are related because they are both task forces — a ruling that brought a groan from some representatives who no doubt thought Curtis was stretching the relevancy rule a bit.