Alcohol bill gets OK'd by House

The restricted area must be enclosed by a fence or some other barrier.
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- A bill that would permit tailgating sports fans to drink alcohol in closed-off portions of university- or pro sports team-owned premises is on its way to the Ohio Senate.
The Ohio House approved the bill 74 to 22 on Wednesday and forwarded it to the Senate. The bill was sponsored by state Rep. Kenneth A. Carano of Austintown, D-59th.
Under the bill, an F-7 liquor permit would be established to allow the consumption of open containers of alcohol on restricted areas of university or private property.
The restricted area must be enclosed by a fence or some other barrier, and security personnel must watch over the entrance to ensure that people don't leave the area with open containers of alcohol.
The bill does not propose to permit the sale of alcohol on the premises, and universities would not be mandated to apply for the permits, Carano said.
"This bill hurts no college or university," Carano said.
Opposed to bill
But other lawmakers expressed concern at the message sent by passage of the bill.
"At a time when drinking on college campuses is endemic ... I think [the bill is] counter to that effort," said state Rep. Jamie Callender, R-Lake County.
Others agreed.
"This is not good policy," said state Rep. Timothy J. Grendell, R-Geauga County.
Carano has said he introduced the bill after press reports last fall that there was a rule on the books in Ohio banning open containers of alcohol on public parking lots.
Publicity over the apparently little-known rule had made some officials at Youngstown State University, near Carano's House district, nervous, leading to the bill.
But the bill has drawn opposition from the state's largest university, Ohio State, because of the potential drain on public safety forces to police the tailgates and the additional costs for fencing, signs and other equipment.
The Senate has not yet assigned the bill to a standing committee for further study.