Committee clears bill to loosen liquor rules for government-licensed boats on Tempe Town Lake and similar waters

The Senate Commerce Committee returned Senate Bill 14 67 with a due-pass recommendation after a brief hearing focused on a local pilot concept for tour boats.

SB 14 67 would amend the government-license provisions that govern sale and consumption of liquor on certain docks and boats. Key changes in the bill include removing the requirement that sale of liquor be in conjunction with food consumption and changing the hours during which liquor may be served or possessed on the boat to between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. The bill also clarifies that local governmental licensees may set passenger limits (raising a possible maximum from 45 to up to 100 in municipal agreements) and allows a city to adopt safety and certification standards suitable for nonfederally regulated waterways instead of requiring U.S. Coast Guard certification that is infeasible for some local lakes.

Robert Mayer, a Phoenix resident and tour-business owner who works with Tempe on a proposed town-lake tour operation, told the committee the statute as drafted 25 years ago was not usable for the boat-tour model Tempe and private operators are proposing. Mayer said the amendment would let the city set safety standards tailored to a non-navigable lake and make the municipal partnership operational.

Committee members sought assurance that the bill would not override local controls; sponsors and the witness said final operational details — including passenger limits, hours and local safety rules — would remain under local contract and municipal authority. The committee returned the bill with a due-pass recommendation by recorded voice and roll-call; the tally recorded 10 ayes, 0 nays in committee.

Supporters said the bill grants local governments flexibility to negotiate tourism-focused operations while maintaining safety oversight; no substantive opposition testimony was presented in committee.