INDIANA – Starting Monday, July 1, there will be no more “Happy Hours” at bars. Instead, bars can offer customers drink specials several hours a week.
It’s all part of a bill that passed the General Assembly last session, and Governor Eric Holcomb signed into law in March. The law received bi-partisan support from lawmakers. Opponents worried it could contribute to more people developing substance abuse disorders and binge drinking. Â
When Gov. Holcomb signed the law, he said it was about empowering businesses to serve responsibly.
Starting Monday, July 1, the law lifts a decades-old ban on bars offering happy hours to customers.
Under the new law, bars can offer specials four hours a day, 15 hours a week, except between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m.
Drunk driving arrest statistics from the Indiana State Police show people still choose to drive under the influence. Last year, ISP made close to 2,500 DUI arrests.
Every day, about 37 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that’s one person every 39 minutes. According to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, 122 people died in alcohol-related crashes in 2023 in Indiana, and 131 were killed in 2022.
it’s illegal in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, to drive with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or higher, except in Utah, where the BAC limit is 0.05.
If convicted of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated in Indiana, you will have to pay court costs and fees over $300. You may receive a jail sentence of up to one year. You will be fined up to $5,000.
