MORNING HEADLINES | S.C. House and Senate Republican leaders have reached a compromise that they say will ease bar and restaurant liability insurance pains.
The compromise gives bars and restaurants options, as well as requirements, for reducing minimum insurance coverage for serving alcohol. The House reportedly passed the agreement late Tuesday by a voice vote. It now heads to the Senate.
At issue has been a 2017 liquor liability law that required bars and restaurants that serve alcohol after 5 p.m. to carry insurance policies covering at least $1 million in damages in case a customer was over-served and caused an accident. But that helped to cause premiums to rise and insurers to leave the state, which, in turn, led to less competition and the cost of policies to go up more.
“Small businesses are struggling while politicians dither,” said Democratic S.C. Sen. Ed Sutton of West Ashley in February. “Every week that goes by, another VFW post or restaurant closes up shop because their premiums increased tenfold or more in the span of two years.”
The compromise leaves the $1 million minimum in state law but allows policies to be far lower, especially for businesses where alcohol makes up less than 40% of sales. Other reductions to policies could happen through several options, such as required alcohol training for servers and bartenders, digital scanners for IDs for bars and restaurants open after midnight and closing before midnight.
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