State House Passes Bill Allowing Expanded Self-Serve Alcohol

State Representative Rodney Wakeman of Saginaw Township is spearheading a plan to allow bars and restaurants in Michigan to offer controlled access to self-serve machines that dispense beer, wine and mixed spirits in limited.

The technology commonly uses a card or wrist band provided to the customer at the point of sale, where their age is confirmed. The device is then scanned at the tap, keeping track of how much is dispensed. Each serving would be capped at 16 ounces of beer and 12 ounces of wine or mixed spirits under his plan. Individual shots of liquor would not be allowed, and the device would be limited to 32 total ounces.

Currently, Michigan law only allows alcoholic beverages to be served to customers in self-serve containers brought to a table by a server.

The bill now advances to the state Senate for further consideration.