SC Venue Crisis

ICYMI: The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Meeting on February 13, 2024 regarding Senate Bill 533 (The SC Justice Act) focused primarily on liquor liability, even though the bill is about MORE than that. The testimonies by community members and a paid expert were very educational, but not more than Senator Harpootlian’s comment regarding dive bars and restaurants.

...You all write the million dollar check and move on. So I'm not interested in adjusting our liquor liability laws. I'm interested in making sure the insurance companies differentiate between a dive bar that's serving $1 shots and a restaurant that serving food with alcohol. And that's not happening. 
So the dive bar gets put out of business because they can't afford the insurance and the restaurant rates go down. I mean, it seems to me that's the perfect solution without having to deal with what you call the perfect storm.

Senator Dick Harpootlian 2.13.24

We encourage you to contact every dive bar, music venue, and locally owned and operated restaurant in Richland and Lexington Counties and inform them them of their Senator’s thoughts on the worthiness of their businesses to exist in his district.

On a brighter note, Senator Malloy said that this committee is going to move quickly. However, it was stated multiple times that the data needed from insurance carriers and the ISO is unavailable. The main questions are.

What criteria does the ISO use to determine scores for each state?

Exactly how do insurance carriers determine liquor liability rates for any given establishment?

We hope to see you at the SC Tort Reform Rally next Tuesday, February 20, 2024, from 11 am – 1 pm. Bring your handheld signs, and let’s MAKE SOME NOISE.

We will be at ART BAR from 6:30 – 9:30 Monday night for a pre-rally meet-up. We have a LOT to talk about.