Des Moines, Iowa — A bill designed to shut down bars that are a public safety nuisance more quickly has cleared the Iowa House.
Republican Representative Ross Paustian of Walcott says the bill is a response to incidents in Davenport, Des Moines, and Council Bluffs.
The bill establishes a legal process for city and county officials to immediately get a district court order to yank a bar’s liquor license if there have been frequent riots, fights or gunfire at the business. Losing that liquor license effectively closes the bar. Representative Cindy Winckler, a Democrat from Davenport, says across the border in Illinois, local officials can suspend a bar’s liquor license indefinitely.
Under current rules, an Iowa bar owner may appeal to the state Alcoholic Beverages Division if a city or county revokes their liquor license and the bar stays open during that appeal process. The bill to change that passed on a 74 to 19 vote and now goes to the Senate for consideration.
