Pulis letter: Liquor laws

Get ready for more bars Idaho. If state legislator Luke Malek gets his way, there will be liquor on every corner. Malek’s change in Idaho’s liquor laws will allow virtually any restaurant to serve liquor as long as they are serving food. In downtown Coeur d’Alene alone, I would expect at least 10 new bars.

This change will undoubtedly result in an increase in DUIs, alcohol-related auto accidents, and alcohol related traffic deaths. Do we really need more bars in Idaho? Malek thinks so. Behind this change in the law is big business. Big restaurant chains that don’t want to play by the rules and either wait their turn for a license or purchase an existing one.

What is particularly disturbing is that Malek is trying to push legislation through before anyone even has a chance to comment. During a town hall meeting in Coeur d’Alene on Feb. 25th, Malek promised another town hall meeting with current liquor license holders to discuss our concerns. Six days later he introduced a “Liquor License Reform Plan” that nobody has read. This is not liquor license reform, it is liquor license proliferation. Buyer beware with Malek and Liquor License Reform.

This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Pulis letter: Liquor laws."