PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Pennsylvania state lawmaker is expected to reintroduce legislation this week that could allow some bars and restaurants to stay open until 4 a.m.
A proposal to allow local governments to expand liquor licenses until 4 a.m. was first introduced by state Rep. Jordan Harris in 2015. He said he's bringing it up again now as a way to potentially help business owners recoup their losses from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This is an opportunity for us to explore what it would look like, in my mind, to modernize the state of Pennsylvania as far as our liquor laws," said Harris.
He clarified the proposal wouldn't automatically allow all establishments to expand their hours from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.
"This is just the authority to do it and then you can talk with community groups, city council members, to talk about exactly where in the city of Philadelphia," said Harris.
"At the state level, we should allow local governments to decide because local governments know what areas where this could possibly work and know what areas where this could possibly be an issue."
He said adding an additional two hours of service could make a significant impact.
"How do we expand the economy and not just recycle money?" he asked. "We see people flooding to places like New York spending their money that they could be spending here. It just doesn’t make sense."
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Harris said it's also a way to build the population.
"In Philadelphia we have great colleges and universities but sadly, a lot of those young people are leaving," he noted. "They're leaving for other jobs, but a lot of them are leaving because the entertainment here isn’t necessarily what it could be."
If approved, Harris said business wouldn't be the only ones benefiting.
"This is also about how do we keep people in the city of Philadelphia when they're about to hit their economic peak in regards to their income," he said. "There's a lot of revenue that could be made in those two hours that would benefit us as a city and as a commonwealth."
When asked when the proposal could pass, Harris said it comes down to the people.
"If folks want to do it, it could go fast," he said. "If they don't want it, it won't move but you don't get anywhere unless you start the conversation."