For years, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has worked to bring Utah into the mainstream, including efforts to modernize the state's liquor and cheap cigarettes online laws.
But his continued push this year has the wildly popular governor going head-to-head with lawmakers who feel he's going too far in a state that prides itself on the lowest percentage of alcohol-related accidents in the country.
Huntsman and the state's $6 billion-a-year tourism industry want to eliminate requirements that customers pay a fee and fill out an application to enter a bar, according to The Associated Press. Utah is the only state in the country with such a law.
While some lawmakers have expressed interest in at least examining such an option, others are proposing even stricter rules.
New Senate President Michael Waddoups, for example, wants alcohol at restaurants hidden away so that children can't see it. The Taylorsville Republican says that even seeing the bottles can entice children to want to drink.
