CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Lawmakers are once again debating North Carolina liquor laws. Current law says bars can not change the price of an alcoholic item unless it's for the whole day, but there is some movement in Raleigh that could change that, among other rules.
At Canopy Cocktails in South End, drinks are shaken fast. But if you ask general manager David Schmidt, North Carolina laws move in slow motion.
“The laws are very much different from what I used to," Schmidt said.
He moved from California and said there are a lot of differences. One of the differences came down to a change in price, also known as happy hours.
“It’s a great thing, everyone should have happy hour," Schmidt said.
Tuesday, at the North Carolina State Capitol, lawmakers discussed over 30 pages of revisions to the current law. One of them would make happy hours legal in North Carolina.
“It keeps people in early and selling early and the night going through," Schmidt said.
Schmidt told WCNC Charlotte he believed bars would benefit greatly.
“You have to have a reason to come after work and if it’s a $2 reason, that’s a good reason,” Schmidt said.
Jason Ruth with the North Carolina Bar Owners Association said bar owners wouldn't be the only people to benefit.
“As more sales come in, that’s going to increase revenue for the state and taxpayers too," Ruth said.
The bill will also allow ABC stores to open on Sundays.
While things are speeding up, some lawmakers are trying to press pause on this. Some argued this bill is industry driven. They cited fears over increased DUIs in the state and called this a public safety issue.
Ruth said data from other states don't align with those fears.
“If you look at the other states that have provided happy hours -- which is 42 states -- the data to the DUI statistics it’s actually lower is several of those states," Ruth said.