TOPEKA — FIFA World Cup games will go around the clock, but under current law the alcoholic drinks in Kansas will stop before the final whistle.
A proposed Senate bill would change that.
Proponents are worried that fans will cross the border to Missouri, which already passed legislation to extend liquor sales to 23 hours of the day.
Sen. Adam Thomas, a Republican from Olathe with decades of restaurant experience, modeled Senate Bill 393 after Missouri’s law.
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“This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal. The reason this was brought is because as we know, last year Missouri already passed this,” Thomas said. “As we know, KCK is not that far from the state line.”
The bill would authorize bars, restaurants and liquor stores to sell liquor from 6 a.m. to 5 a.m. for the duration of the World Cup, which is predicted to bring 650,000 visitors this summer. Thomas said the one-hour window is to give restaurant staff time to recoup.
The proposed change is a jump from current liquor sale hours. Under current law, liquor stores can generally sell from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. with various restrictions on the weekends, and bars from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Kansas will be the home base for two teams: Argentina at Kansas City’s Sporting KC Training Center, and Algeria at Lawrence’s Rock Chalk Park. Missouri will have two teams as well, with England at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri, and the Netherlands at Riverside’s KC Current Training Facility.
Janez Lomshek, who owns bars and grills in Johnson County, testified on behalf of the Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association. Lomshek said he already has invested tens of thousands of dollars in renovations in anticipation.
“Our current alcohol sales hour restrictions risk preventing us from fully accommodating this international moment,” Lomshek said in his written testimony. “A meaningful share of visitor spending — especially during late-night or early morning games due to global scheduling — could easily cross State Line Road into Missouri.”
“With a full one-third of Kansas alcohol licensees located within 10 miles of the Missouri border, and about 26.4% in Wyandotte and Johnson Counties alone (including businesses like mine), this cross-border diversion represents a real threat to local revenue,” he added.
Sen. Ron Ryckman, R-Meade, said he is apprehensive about changing the drinking hours for the whole state, including his southwest Kansas district — far away from the World Cup action.
“I’m not excited about people in southwest Kansas drinking till 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning,” Ryckman said. “We know the problem that alcohol causes there, and I know you do too.”
Thomas said the bill wouldn’t force businesses to be open late, just give them the option.
“We’re not mandating that anybody do this,” Thomas said. “ We’re simply opening the door for folks, that right now instead of staying open till 2 a.m., have that couple of extra hours to sell.”
There was no neutral or opposition testimony for the bill, but Sen. Kenny Titus, R-Manhattan, brought up the security needs associated with late-night and early-morning drinking. Lomshek said his bars and grills would have extra staff on board, and their kitchens would stay open later.
Sen. Stephen Owens, a Republican from Hesston, asked Thomas a joking question: “Nothing good happens after midnight. What good is going to happen after midnight here?”
“We’re already open till 2 right now,” Thomas replied. “So I would argue if nothing good happens after midnight the difference between 2 and 5 is — not much is going to change.”
Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.
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