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Senate committee gives ATC five-day authority to suspend nightclubs after violent incidents
Summary
The Senate Public Policy Committee voted 10–0 to pass Senate Bill 5, which authorizes the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission to close a licensed nightclub for up to five days after a shooting and requires a public hearing during that period to determine penalties or license action.
Chair Alting opened the committee and described Senate Bill 5 as a targeted measure to give the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission (ATC) immediate authority to suspend a nightclub's operations for five days following a shooting or comparable violent incident. "Really the nuts of this bill is it gives them the authority to shut the facility down for 5 days," Alting said, adding the ATC would still hold a public hearing during that window to determine subsequent enforcement actions.
The bill’s sponsor and committee chair said the measure had been authored last year, cleared earlier Senate steps and stalled in the House previously; the committee heard no public testimony on the measure at this hearing. The chair described the policy as intended to ensure public safety by allowing a short, immediate suspension while the ATC completes an investigation and schedules a hearing to consider fines or license revocation.
Committee members moved the bill as amended and conducted a roll-call vote. The committee passed Senate Bill 5 as amended by a vote of 10–0. The committee record shows the vote as unanimous; the chair thanked members and the meeting proceeded to other bills.
The committee’s action sends SB 5 forward from the Public Policy Committee; the next procedural step is for the bill to continue through the legislature’s regular process.
