Liquor permit rule has Utah in a pickle

A group of Utah legislators will ask a Capitol building management board, which depends on legislators for its funding, to consider changing an anti-liquor rule on Capitol grounds.

And if the Capitol board won't quickly change the rule, then legislators will likely move an opening party for a national convention of 6,000 state lawmakers next summer off of Capitol grounds and to a liquor-friendly venue — like the new Salt Lake City Library plaza.

It's the latest twist in a slightly bizarre situation where Utah lawmakers — 80 percent of whom are members of the LDS Church, which proscribes alcohol consumption — are learning firsthand how those who do drink often must dance around Utah liquor laws, which are written by lawmakers themselves.

A legislative committee charged with organizing the July 2004 national convention of the National Conference of State Legislatures has been told that while Utah law doesn't prohibit liquor being served on the newly constructed Capitol Plaza, the Capital Preservation Board has adopted a rule that says no liquor can be consumed on the Capitol grounds, which includes the plaza.

However, the board is considering changing that rule, said Rep. Wayne Harper, R-West Jordan, who sits on that board as well as on the NCSL Planning Committee, which is the official host of the large convention.

Trouble is, the board doesn't meet until December, Harper said, and it could put off deciding new plaza rules until the spring. However, for planning and reservation purposes, the NCSL committee needs an answer to its booze-no-booze question by November.

"We can't wait until next spring," said NCSL committee member Rep. Dave Hogue, R-Riverton.

One legislative staff member suggested serving guests non-alcoholic wine. She said she heard it tastes like real wine, and at one recent event where non-alcoholic wine was served some of the guests "got high" just thinking they were drinking real wine.

That brought laughs from a number of legislators and staff. "I don't think so," said Rep. Ty McCartney, D-Salt Lake. He said after the meeting that Utah gets a bad enough rap for its liquor laws, and it "would be such a wrong message (to) give them non-alcoholic wine and pretend it's the real thing."

Besides, the media would probably write stories about the "fake" wine, he told a reporter.

Gay Taylor, legislative general counsel, said Utah's liquor law makes it illegal to serve alcohol in state buildings, parks and stadiums but not outside of state buildings.