The Arizona House of Representatives passed a bill that would allow alcohol to be sold until 2 a.m. in Arizona
But before alcohol providers can stay open an extra hour, the bill needs to go through the Senate for approval, and then to Gov. Janet Napolitano's desk.
ASU students expressed various viewpoints regarding the bill's first victory.
Electrical engineering graduate student Rajeshwara Jangareddy, 23, drinks on Mill Avenue on weekends.
"I don't think it can be extended because there are more crimes after 2 a.m.," he said.
But undeclared freshman Ben Ricciardi said, "I think it's kind of silly to be regulating that whole thing by time.
"But then again, I don't drink," he said.
One student, Trevor Link, a journalism and mass communication freshman, suggested another possible solution.
"It should be pushed back, or gotten rid of altogether because realistically, most of the activities that involve drinking go on at that time -- at 1 a.m. and past 1 a.m. -- so to set a standard by time is unrealistic," he said.
If the measure is approved, it could mean more profit for local bars, convenience and grocery stores.
"It means an opportunity for more business, basically," said Andrew Verbis, entertainment director at McDuffy's Sports Bar in Tempe.
Verbis said that if the bill clears the governor's office, it would benefit Tempe drinkers, the bars and the overall image of the greater Phoenix area.
"It puts us in a league with bigger cities like Los Angeles and New York," Verbis said. "Everyone can see we've been trying to copy and emulate them for years."
Though the bill still has a few more steps before becoming a law, some are asking what effect its passage would have on the number of motorists found driving under the influence.
Keith Harmon, a manager at The Vine, said that while longer hours would mean more profit, there are moral and legal sides to an increase in drinking hours.
"There are both sides obviously -- you look at the liability and all that," Harmon said. "But as long as it's an easy switch over, I don't [think] it will cause any major problems."
Reach the reporters at michael.miklofsky@asu.edu andjacqueline.shoyeb@asu.edu.
