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Committee fixes alcohol ID rules, allows reliable scanning and limited confiscation of suspected fake IDs
Summary
Lawmakers unanimously advanced a cleanup bill restoring intended restaurant ID rules, requiring ID checks for curbside beer pickups, and allowing licensees to use 'highly reliable' ID‑scanning tech and temporarily hold suspected fake IDs while notifying law enforcement; sponsor said field tests showed modern scanners are highly accurate.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Business and Labor Interim Committee unanimously moved forward a bill to fix alcohol‑sale drafting errors from the prior session, clarify when restaurants must verify age, require ID checks for curbside beer pickup, and permit licensees to use reliable ID‑scanning technology and to retain suspected fake IDs while contacting law enforcement.
Representative Eliason said earlier session language inadvertently required restaurants to verify IDs in broader circumstances; the draft restores the prior approach: retail bars must verify ID but restaurants need not card patrons who appear 35 or older. The bill also implements the earlier policy compromise on curbside beer sales by obligating employees delivering curbside purchases to verify proof of age at the point of pickup.
On technology, Eliason said he and industry tested a box of seized IDs with modern scanning tools. “We used the software SBI uses… and it had about a less than 1% error rate,” he told the committee, adding that retail scanners tested in bars had approximately a 2% error rate in field conditions. The bill uses performance language — requiring devices to be “highly reliable” — rather than mandating a specific vendor or system.
The measure also allows licensees to hold a suspected fake ID and notify law enforcement; the sponsor said the intent is to reduce the practice of a refused patron moving to another establishment with the same false credential. The bill as discussed leaves implementation details and limited safeguards to be refined — e.g., the sponsor indicated he would seek changes to the 24‑hour submission language and to require returning the ID if law enforcement cannot respond.
Industry and enforcement voices supported the changes. The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services and the Salt Lake Area Restaurant Association said the bill aligns obligations for responsible retailers while providing safe‑harbor protections for those following verified ID checks. Several bar owners and fire/law enforcement supporters said the changes will help curb underage drinking that increasingly relies on high‑quality fake IDs.
What’s next: The committee forwarded the bill as a committee bill and indicated sponsors will work with SBI and industry to refine implementation language, including timing for enforcement and technical standards.
Key witnesses and speakers: Representative Val Elison (sponsor), Erica Evans (Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services), Art Brown (advocate on underage drinking), Lincoln Shirts (Salt Lake Area Restaurant Association).
