Though Mayor Marty Walsh didn’t touch upon the potential for keeping Boston bars and restaurants open past 2 a.m. in his State of the City address as we had hoped, he plans to file legislation with state Senator William Brownsberger and Representative Evandro Carvalho to do exactly that.
On Friday, Jan. 16, Mayor Walsh released the City of Boston State Legislative Agenda for 2015-2016. The bill, SD40, An Act Modernizing the Business Licensing Process, outlines a number of measures to spur further economic development.
More specifically, this bill aims to streamline the licensing and regulatory processes in the following manner:
- Eliminate the Common Victuallers (CV) license requirement for non-alcohol businesses wishing to operate during standard business hours;
- Eliminate specialty licenses for billiard tables, bowling alleys, automatic amusement devices and fortune tellers;
- Determine at what capacity certain establishments can be exempt from the Non-Live Entertainment License requirements;
- Determine at what capacity certain establishments can be exempt from the Live Entertainment License requirements for instrumental/vocal music; and
- Allow restaurants and bars to remain open past 2 a.m.
Over the past year, City Hall has made multiple pushes to keep Boston bars and restaurants open past 2 a.m. It’s unclear at this time how late he will push for, though in the past he’s suggested 3:30 a.m.
Katie King, Mayor Walsh’s director of state relations, told BostInno that the ultimate purpose of the bill will be to vest cities and towns the power and flexibility to determine their own closing time.
The bill will be filed by 5 p.m. Friday at which point it will be considered by the legislature, likely designated to committee, and debated some more. Due to the length of the legislative session, there’s a two-year window for when it could be enacted, though King confirmed the bill could be signed into law well before then.
Last summer the mayor formed a Late Night Task Force to investigate the feasibility of extending last call slightly deeper into the night, and with the help of state Senator Linda Dorcena Forry filed a budget amendment that would allow for this to happen.
The amendment, though, was eventually nixed.
“After 17 years in the legislature and now as Mayor of Boston, I see the impact Boston has not only on the region but on the Commonwealth,” said Mayor Walsh in a statement. “I am committed to working with the State Legislature and our local partners from across the Commonwealth to pass legislation that is mutually beneficial to us all.”
Since campaigning for mayor in late 2013, Mayor Walsh has been adamant that allowing for people to enjoy a meal and drink their fill at later hours will help to entice and retain young talent, support small businesses and bolster the city’s reputation as a world-class city.
You can check out the other Beacon Hill initiatives the Walsh administration is pushing for in the document below.
City of Boston State Legislative Agenda
