Happy hour faces a new round of support

Nearly four decades after Massachusetts lawmakers banned the practice statewide, happy hour could return to the menu in willing cities and towns if the Senate has its way.

Senators voted late Thursday night to tack an amendment creating a local-option happy hour program onto their version of a $4.57 billion economic development bill, suddenly reviving the chances of a long-debated idea popular with many consumers that has failed to gain traction on Beacon Hill in the past due in part to concerns over drunk driving.

The amendment filed by state Sen. Julian Cyr of Truro would allow any city or town’s legislative body to vote to allow sale of discounted alcohol beverages at bars and restaurants during specific hours, so long as the promotion does not run past 10 p.m. and is publicly announced at least three days in advance.

That would represent a major shift for the hospitality industry and their patrons, opening up access to a business tactic allowed in most other states but prohibited here since 1984.

Cyr said in addition to providing a new economic development tool, he believes the measure would chip away at a “no fun Massachusetts lament” particularly common among younger generations.

“There’s been a tradition in Massachusetts of rethinking and moving away from our puritanical values when it comes to alcohol, when it comes to cannabis,” Cyr told the News Service on Friday. “While I’m clear-eyed about the health risks associated with alcohol or drugs, I think we also need to be honest about people’s behavior.”

The language senators added to their economic development bill would not immediately authorize every single city and town to roll out happy hours. Municipalities instead would need to opt in with a local vote and could then set their own regulations, which might vary from community to community.

Cyr said the provision would give a “level of granularity for local control.” Some cities and towns — especially those whose residents rely more on driving to get around — might have no interest at all in discounted drink promotions, he said, and others might want to limit happy hours to off-peak times.

The amendment also calls on the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission to create a nine-person advisory group, whose members would need to include experts in public safety, alcohol licensing and distribution, safe driving and restaurant operations, to help cities and towns implement happy hours.

Cyr was the only lawmaker to speak about the amendment during Thursday’s debate, and senators adopted it with an unrecorded voice vote.

The addition puts a substantial loosening, but not an outright lift, of the statewide happy hour ban in the mix as lawmakers approach the July 31 end of formal sessions for the two-year term.

The House did not feature any such language in its version of the bill. Senate negotiators will now need to convince House leaders to include it in the final accord a conference committee will aim to produce.