Massachusetts Amendment Would Allow Happy Hours Once More in Bars

A measure under consideration in the Massachusetts State Senate would allow bars in the state to once again offer happy hours, for the first time since 1984. While the odds of the amendment’s passage are low, it has renewed debate about the happy hour ban, The New York Times reports.

The ban on discounted or free drinks during happy hour was signed by then-Governor Michael Dukakis as part of an effort to reduce drunk driving. He is opposed to lifting the ban, the newspaper reports.

State Senator Robert L. Hedlund, a restaurant owner who sponsored the amendment, said drunk driving laws, not bans on happy hours, save lives. Mothers Against Drunk Driving has said that while they are concerned with anything that encourages excessive amounts of alcohol, the group will not lobby against the amendment, according to the article.