SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A bill allowing Utah restaurants to stop shielding diners from seeing alcoholic drinks being prepared is headed to Gov. Gary Herbert’s desk after winning final approval Wednesday from state lawmakers. He has said he supports it.

The proposal would ease a longtime quirky rule in the Mormon-majority state that requires restaurant workers to mix and pour drinks behind a barrier, typically a frosted glass wall or a back room.

Under the rule, diners over 21 were still able to consume their drinks in full view, and that will continue under the new changes.

The barriers, nicknamed “Zion Curtains” as a reference to the teetotaling members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have been around in some form for decades and are currently required for restaurants generally built after 2009.

The proposal to loosen the rules is a compromise from the state’s major relaxing of liquor laws eight years ago, when the state stopped requiring bars to be members-only clubs. The “Zion Curtains” have been long targeted by the hospitality industry - which says the barriers are strange, unfairly applied and don’t serve a purpose.

Supporters of the barrier rule say they keep restaurants from resembling bars and prevent children from being introduced to “alcohol culture” and what they have described as the glamour of bartending.

The proposal approved Wednesday would allow restaurants to stop using the barriers if they set up a child-free buffer zone around their bar: either a 10-foot open area or a 5-foot zone marked off by something like a half-wall or railing.

The bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Brad Wilson of Kaysville, says at least a dozen states require restaurants to have something like a 21-and-older bar area.

An exception added Wednesday allows a minor accompanied by someone over 21 to sit within the buffer zone if there’s no other seating in the restaurant.

Senators voted 20-9 to approve the measure, with a bipartisan mix of lawmakers supporting and opposing. Minutes later, Utah’s House of Representatives signed off on the changes, sending it to Herbert.

The Republican governor has said he supports the bill and that there’s no evidence that children are any more likely to drink if they see alcoholic drinks being prepared.

Despite concerns with the initial proposal, restaurants groups support the bill. It also has key backing of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The church, which instructs members to avoid alcohol, often weighs in on Utah liquor laws, seeing them as a key moral and public safety issue. Church officials have said the proposal makes an “admirable attempt” to address concerns about underage drinking and alcohol abuse and includes appropriate protections.

Three years ago, church officials released a broad defense of the state’s liquor laws, urging lawmakers to “avoid an alcohol culture” and keep the laws as they were.

In addition to addressing restaurant barriers, the bill also raises the state markup on alcohol two percentage points - to 88 percent for liquor and wine and 66.5 for beer with more than 4 percent of alcohol by volume that’s only sold in state-run stores.

The proposal also includes more restrictions on the labeling of hard ciders and alcohol-infused sodas to ensure they’re not mistaken for regular soda. It creates new alcohol abuse training programs and allows alcohol to be served earlier on weekends and holidays, starting at 10:30 a.m. instead of 11:30 a.m.

Some restaurants would have to start complying by summer 2018, with all complying by summer 2022.

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC.