PORTLAND, Maine — Editor's Note: The above video aired Aug. 9, 2020.
The Maine Senate and House of Representatives on Thursday passed emergency legislation to extend to-go cocktails from bars and restaurants through September 2022.
The bill now moves to the desk of Gov. Janet Mills.
Both houses approved the bill, LD 205, An Act to Extend the Ability of Restaurants and Bars to Serve Alcohol To Go, with the two-thirds votes required by emergency legislation.
On March 18, 2020, Mills ordered bars and restaurants to close their dining rooms due to the pandemic. They reopened three months later with limited capacity.
An executive order issued by Mills in March 2020 allows restaurants and bars to sell liquor through take-out and delivery if it is accompanied by food, and allows distilleries that don't serve food to sell liquor without it.
Jay Hibbard of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, praised the passage, saying in a release that Maine's hospitality business has been "devastated" by the pandemic and won't recover for years. He urged Gov. Janet Mills to sign the bill quickly.
“Cocktails to-go has already proven to be a vital part of their survival during COVID-19 and will only provide increased stability in the year to come," Hibbard said. "Local restaurants, bars, and distilleries are desperate for a sustained source of revenue, and extending cocktails to-go provides a critical lifeline as they get back on their feet.