Alcohol Sale Option At UNC Athletic Events Advances In Senate

Legislation giving all North Carolina public universities the option to sell beer and wine during campus athletic events continues to advance in the General Assembly.

The Senate's education committee agreed on Wednesday in a close vote to a House bill giving trustee boards at University of North Carolina system campuses the option to sell alcoholic drinks at their stadiums and athletic facilities. Currently, sales or consumption for games are prohibited inside venues, with just a few exceptions.

Bill supporters include the universities, which say controlling game-day consumption inside venues should lead to fewer alcohol-related problems coming from outside.

Some committee members questioned promoting alcohol when binge drinking is a serious issue on campuses.

The legislation cleared the House in April and now heads to another Senate committee.