Bill to extend bar hours killed by sponsor

On Feb. 17, Democratic State Rep. Crisanta Duran of Denver asked the Colorado House to vote down legislation she introduced which would have extended the statewide cut-off time of 2 a.m. to serve alcohol.

“After having many conversations about this bill, I think that it’s time to go back to the drawing board on this,” Duran told House lawmakers during the final reading of the legislation. “What I’m going to ask for is to go ahead and put me out of my misery and please just kill this bill.”

Duran had introduced the bill with co-sponsor state Sen. Pat Steadman (D-Denver) with support from Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and the Denver City Council.

The legislation was introduced in part to tackle the problem of inebriated crowds pouring into Denver streets at 2 a.m., the statewide mandated cut-off time for serving liquor. Fights and injuries have become a consistent occurrence right around closing time, and The Denver Post reported an individual is more likely to be a victim of crime in the Lower Downtown area than in any other part of Denver between the hours of 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.

“This could be a tool that local governments could use towards crowd control,” Duran told Out Front before the bill was lost. “There should be more discretion at the local level. That’s why I put forward the bill.”

The legislation would have allowed bars to stagger the closing times at 2 a.m., 3 a.m., and 4:30 a.m. in an effort to disperse surge of patrons heading home. But some state lawmakers, such as Rep. Tim Dore (R-Elizabeth), argued that people will just drive intoxicated to a neighboring city that has later drinking hours.

Duran responded that the bill would allow local governments to work with businesses, such as the possibility of allowing later open hours but banning additional patrons from entering the establishment after 2 a.m. “That would really prevent the bar hopping that some people have talked about,” she said.

The legislation would also have granted local municipalities the authority to restrict the hours an establishment could serve alcohol — requiring them to stop selling alcohol even before the current closing time — a provision some local bar owners found alarming.

“We really don’t want the city to decide how our businesses are run as far as hours,” said Tony Fleith, owner of the gay bar Li’l Devils on Broadway. “It’s got to be unanimous for everybody, or it’s not going to work.”

Duran said the provision would only be used when a business faced disciplinary action from the city. “Right now, their license could actually be taken away all together if there’s an issue, so this would be less severe,” she said.

The Colorado Restaurant Association, which represents about 4,500 restaurants in the state, pulled their support for the bill, arguing the city should not have authority to restrict businesses hours upon renewal of a liquor license.

With the loss of key allies, Duran commented that she will revisit the issue next year.

“I brought this bill to address a serious public safety issue that’s affecting people in my district and elsewhere in Colorado,” Duran said. “With more time for consultation and compromise, I want to come back next year with a bill that has the broadest possible support and input from the widest variety of stakeholders.”