Liquor stores

A new proposal in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives could extend some bar hours to 4 a.m.

(File photo)

Bars could stay open until 4 a.m. under a new proposal that would create an "extended use" permit.

"This legislation would create a more attractive Pennsylvania and further a goal of appealing to young professionals and millennials who can greatly improve our local economies," said Rep. Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia. "This bill would put our city on par with some of the largest cities in the country as far as having a healthy, vibrant nightlife."

Under current state laws, most bars and restaurants must stop selling alcohol at 2 a.m., although some private clubs are permitted to serve later in the evening.

Harris' proposal is the latest among a raft of rule changes and proposed legislation aimed at modernizing the state's Liquor Control Board, which oversees the distribution of alcohol statewide.

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Harris' proposal would require at least one public hearing before the issuance of an extended permit and would allow the municipality to refuse to issue one. It would also concentrate the permits in areas of "economic development drivers . . . that attract more tourism."

"Specifically in Philadelphia, these permits will not be targeted as something local neighborhood bars would be applying for," he said.

These modernization efforts come in the midst of a new privatization push.

In February, the House passed its own bill and another proposal in the Senate sponsored by Sen. Scott Wagner, R-York.