A new advocacy group says it’s time for members of the S.C. legislature to set aside their differences on lawsuit reform and deliver relief to bar and restaurant owners facing ruinous liquor liability bills.
According to a June 10 release, the South Carolina Bar and Tavern Association was formed in the past month by bar and brewery owners, insurance agents and others who are directly affected by the state’s food and beverage industry.
First on the new group’s agenda is a push to reform the state’s liquor liability laws, which they say have led to the closure of several bars and restaurants across the state due to high insurance costs.
With that goal in mind, they plan to present legislators with a petition supporting immediate reform when the General Assembly reconvenes in a special session next week.
“We currently have over a thousand signatures from across the state and we’re garnering more every day,” association head Chris Smith told Statehouse Report. “We’re going to hand-deliver these to the governor’s office and the Senate president and the House leadership on June 18.”
The group hopes to convince legislators to revive S. 533, dubbed the S.C. Justice Act by supporters. It’s a broad tort reform bill that failed to win final passage in this year’s legislative session. As a result, any effort to resuscitate it would require a two-thirds supermajority vote in both chambers.
Failing that, Smith says his group is committed to coming back next year, perhaps with a narrower reform bill that’s tailored to the specific problems of bar and restaurant owners.
“So many places are closing at this point, I’m open to doing whatever it takes to get something done,” Smith said.
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We Can Do Better, South Carolina!