More happy hours could be coming to Pennsylvania after bill’s passage in state Senate

Pennsylvania could soon see more happy hours following the State Senate’s passage of a bill that would make a number of changes to Pennsylvania’s labyrinthian liquor code.

Known as House Bill 829, the bill would allow bars and restaurants in Pennsylvania to hold 24 hours of happy hours a week. Under the state’s current liquor laws, those establishments are limited to just 14 hours of happy hour time a week.

The bill on Tuesday passed the Senate with a vote of 47-3, with Republican Sens. Doug Mastriano, Jarrett Coleman, and Scott Hutchinson casting the nays.

“By increasing the total hours per week, we’re hopeful that through creative marketing each establishment will be able to use this tool to attract more patrons,” Chuck Moran, executive director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association, said in a statement.

Initially introduced in April 2023, the bill began as a way to combat the hospitality industry’s workforce woes, but was amended over time to include a number of changes to the state’s liquor code, the association said. The idea, Moran said, was to “address older regulations that limited opportunities” for alcohol-serving establishments.

Although the bill would increase the total number of hours an establishment can hold happy hours, those happy hours would still be limited to a maximum of four hours a day. That limit has been in place since 2011, when it increased from the previous cap of two hours a day.

Sponsored by Rep. Matthew Gergely (D., Allegheny), the bill also calls for changing the liquor code to allow bars, taverns, and restaurants to offer discounts on combination meals that include alcoholic drinks — a sales tactic previously disallowed by state law. Under the new regulations, as many as two discounted combination options a day could be offered.

And, for the first time, places that serve alcohol would be allowed to include two drinks in the price of a ticket to attend what is known as a “self-sponsored event.” So, in practical terms, something such as a ticketed Super Bowl party at a bar or restaurant would be included, Moran said.

In addition to its marketing changes, the bill also looks to make permanent a pandemic-era provision allowing temporary outdoor dining areas within 1,000 feet of licensed establishments. That allowance was previously set to expire at the end of this year.

The bill’s passage in the state Senate comes amid a flurry of activity as legislators work to pass a state budget, the deadline for which came and went Sunday. Following its passage in the Senate, it was referred to the state House Rules Committee on Tuesday. Last year, a previous version of the bill passed in the House, 199-2.