The House of Representatives gathered at Health and Human Services on Wednesday to discuss Senate Bill 132, which would have raised the alcohol-by-volume limit from 3.2 percent up to 4.8 percent. But when it went through the House of Representatives, it was rejected.
After the rejection, Representative Brad Daw proposed a substitute bill that would create a 'Beer Availability Task Force' allowing a study on the issue of public safety, teen alcohol consumption and DUIs.
But Senator Stevenson believes that if the limit was raised, there would be little to no change.
“If you’re a responsible drinker at 3.2 you would be responsible at 4.8,” Senator Steventon said.
Utah has been known for some of the strictest alcohol laws leading the rest of the country with one of the lowest limits for alcohol-by-volume percentage. Because of this, the state has been seeing more and more labels being canceled and Senator Stevenson worries that as time goes on, even with the new task force, it would be nearly impossible to buy any alcohol from grocery and convenience stores.
“They'll eventually just say ‘You know what? These are the brands that we sell, match that to our market,’" Senator Stevenson said. "So then it becomes a situation to where those that consume those products don't have them available in the state.”
