The South Carolina House easily passed a resolution Wednesday afternoon to let voters decide whether to let bars and restaurants pour alcohol from something other than mini-bottles. South Carolina is the only state that requires the use of mini-bottles.

The House passed a bill at the end of last year's General Assembly to allow bars and restaurants to "free pour" drinks from large bottles. The change requires both a change in state law and a change in the state constitution. The bill passed Wednesday sets up the constitutional amendment referendum.

After routine, final approval Thursday, the mini-bottle referendum resolution goes to the Senate, where the other mini-bottle bill is already pending. Mini-bottles would still be allowed, just not required under that law.

Rep. Bill Cotty, R-Columbia, main sponsor of the referendum bill, says, "It’s price-friendly. It should make the price of a drink either go down or stay down longer. Number two, it should make our roads safer. Every major law enforcement group is for this. Three, it’s user-friendly for retailers, too."

But retailers have fought the bill in the past, since getting rid of mini-bottles has been discussed for at least a decade. They say it's easier for them and the state to keep track of alcohol taxes on mini-bottles, since they know exactly how many drinks there are.

And they say switching to large bottles will require higher taxes on them, meaning customers would pay more at the liquor store.

But critics of mini-bottles say getting rid of them would make our roads safer. Since mini-bottles contain more alcohol than a normal shot used in a drink, some drivers, especially visitors from other states, end up driving while impaired. While they can handle two drinks at home, two drinks in South Carolina are much stronger.