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Senate hearing on social‑district bill yields bipartisan support and safety questions
Summary
Senate File 1182 would let cities create defined 'social districts' where open containers of alcoholic beverages are permitted under local rules. Supporters described economic and social revival benefits; some senators raised public‑safety and public‑health concerns. The committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion.
Senate File 1182, a bill to allow cities to create and administer defined social districts where alcoholic beverages may be transported and consumed in public within mapped boundaries, drew a mix of bipartisan support and caution from members of the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee on March 13.
Sen. Aric Putnam, the bill’s author, said the change is modeled on three pilot districts the Legislature authorized last year and would let additional cities establish similar spaces that combine music, art and food with regulated alcohol sales. "The Anoka District has been so successful that they just expanded it to 7 days," Putnam said, adding that the…
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