Legislation to allow draft beer service in Pike County passed through the House of Representatives as its companion bill passed through the Senate Tuesday, making it one step closer to allowing the sale of draft beer in local restaurants.
“It’s another step in the process,” said City Councilman Marcus Paramore, who has followed the legislation since its introduction.
He said it was too early in the process to celebrate.
“It only takes one senator to stop the whole process,” he said. “Anything can happen.”
The House will now be sent to the Senate where it will spend three legislative days weaving through the system.
“It’ll have to get its first reading, assigned to the local legislation committee and back out then passed,” Paramore said.
The passed Senate bill will do the same in the House.
Only one of the bills needs to make it through the entire process in order for it to become law. Because bills often get hung up by legislators with different agendas, the second bill was introduced as a backup.
The process started with a request from local restaurateurs Jamie and Lyndsay Taylor. They met with Troy City Council to gauge interest in allowing draft beer service in Troy.
The City Council asked that state officials introduce a bill on their behalf. Before the bill could be introduced, it had to be advertised in the media for four weeks.
During that phase, Pike County commissioners asked legislators to allow draft beer service in not only Troy, but throughout the county.
Once one of the bills makes it through both the house and the senate, it will become law. It will then be up to each municipality to pass a resolution to allow draft beer service.