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Article published Jan 15, 2004
Minibottle vote wins House approval
House members on
Wednesday approved a bill that would allow bars and restaurants to use free-pour
liquor rather than minibottles.The House gave the bill second reading on a 90-10
vote. After a standard third reading today, the bill heads to the
Senate.Changing the state's minibottle law would require a constitutional
amendment. If the bill is approved by the Senate, the issue would go on the
ballot for voters to decide in November.A separate bill, which the House
approved in June during the first half of the two-year session, would allow bars
and restaurants to sell free-pour drinks as well as minibottles and would add a
5 percent cocktail tax on drinks.South Carolina is the only state that requires
bars to use the 1.7-ounce bottles. Minibottle supporters say the state would
lose revenue if it switched to free pour.