Indianapolis, Indiana – Hoosiers might be allowed to unwind at the spa with a glass of wine or a cold beer if a recently proposed measure had its way.
A “beauty culture salon employee’s” capacity to serve beer or wine to customers stands out among the provisions of the recently proposed House Bill 1217, which is a catch-all for a range of alcohol-related issues.
The bill was introduced in the Indiana House of Representatives in January and went through three readings before being approved 94-3 to move out of the House.
Since then, the bill has been submitted to the Indiana Senate, where it has been referred to the Public Policy Committee.
The proposed measure would allow state-licensed beauty salons to serve wine or beer by the glass or bottle to patrons who are at least 21 years old and obtaining salon treatments.
It would be necessary to drink wine or beer inside the salon.
But, some senators are reluctant to adopt the bill and let so many additional companies sell wine and beer given that Indiana has more than 8,000 licensed beauty salons.
The bill’s sponsor, state senator Ron Alting (R-Lafayette), said he generally favors HB 1217 but has reservations about allowing salons to serve beer and wine.
“Indiana is not prepared for 8,000 more facilities to serve alcohol and I believe this specific aspect of the bill would be difficult to regulate under current conditions,” Alting said.
Throughout the legislative process, Alting and other state senators will continue to work on HB 1217, he added.
For the time being, Hoosiers looking for a trim and a pour must wait to see if lawmakers will cut HB 1217 to pieces or leave the addition to the beauty parlor alone.
