A bipartisan team of Mecklenburg County, N.C., legislators are working to quench the need for adult beverages at the Democratic National Convention.
The North Carolina lawmakers have introduced a bill to keep Alcoholic Beverage Control stores open on Labor Day in Mecklenburg County — Charlotte, the DNC host city, is located in Mecklenburg — this year only, The Charlotte Observer reports.
Per North Carolina law, ABC stores may not sell alcohol on Sundays, New Year’s Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day.
The DNC convention is set to run Sept. 4-6 right after Labor Day weekend, meaning that liquor stores will be closed for two days in advance of the big event.
According to one of the sponsors, Mecklenburg Republican Rep. Bill Brawley, of Matthews, the legislation is “just good manners.”
“Whatever we can do to make the process smooth for members of the national media and members of the national political community visiting Charlotte,” said Brawley told The Observer. “I think good manners require us to do that.”
Republican Rep. Ruth Samuelson is the primary sponsor of the bill with Democratic Reps. Becky Carney and Beverly Earle.
The Observer reports there are concerns about giving restaurants and hotels enough time to full stock up for the main event in early September and that the legislation was spurred by an appeal from the ABC board.