LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A bipartisan effort to allow Michigan universities to sell alcohol at certain on-campus sporting events has bellied-up to the bar once again in Lansing.

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State Rep. Graham Filler (R-Clinton County), Sen. Sean McCann (D-Kalamazoo), and State Rep. Jimmie Wilson Jr. (D-Ypsilanti) are part of a bipartisan effort to permit universities in Michigan to sell alcohol at campus sporting events including basketball, football, and hockey games. They support House Bill 4328 and Senate Bill 247.

“Giving universities the option to serve alcohol at their sporting events is about freedom, fairness, and recognizing that the responsible consumption of alcohol inside the stadium is much safer than the binge drinking that goes on in the parking lot,” Filler said.

McCann addressed the proverbial elephant in the room. “There is strong evidence that points to these policies helping to reduce binge drinking on game days.”

In addition, Wilson discussed the safety of a controlled environment. “We have seen that when you regulate things in a more controlled way, in this case alcohol, you have better public safety outcomes,” Wilson said.

A press release from Filler and McCann’s offices said eight of the 14 schools in the Big Ten allow alcohol sales at football games and most have seen positive results with decreases in the number of alcohol-related incidents. It said Ohio State University police reported a 65% drop in alcohol-related incidents once it started selling alcohol in the stadiums in 2016.

However, some in law enforcement aren’t as optimistic. One public safety official who works near a Big Ten university in Michigan told Michigan News Source that these bills are not a good idea.

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“For all of the years that I’ve worked, fans tailgate leading up to the game,” he said. “Many of them are consuming alcohol during the pre-game celebration. The fans that go to the stadium [now] at least have a respite from the alcohol consumption.”

That’s not the only potential problem, according to the public safety official. “[Those with] judgement impaired by alcohol from the pre-game celebration get into fist fights over simple seating disagreements,” he said. “There are obvious OWI driving concerns. It’s one thing for people to choose to consume alcohol on their own. It’s another for the university to encourage and sanction more consumption just for profit.”

The measures have been referred to the House and Senate Regulatory Reform committees for consideration.