June 06, 2019
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
Atlantic City could see high tide flooding more than 100 times per year if current climate trends continue, a new report says.
A bill that would allow open containers of alcohol on Atlantic City's boardwalk and its surrounding tourism district passed Thursday through the New Jersey Senate's Law and Public Safety Committee.
If the chairman of the city's Alcohol Beverage Control has his way, the Press of AC reports, the bill could become law by the time summer revelers celebrate July 4.
Tom Forkin, chairman of Atlantic City's Alcohol Beverage Control, said he hopes the bill can make the city feel a bit more like Las Vegas, New Orleans, or Key West.
The bill was introduced in the state Senate on March 4, according to the Press, when Forkin called the idea a "home run for Atlantic City."
New Jersey Sen. Chris Brown, R-2nd, told the Press it "just makes sense to offer" residents and visitors the option to drink in public.
According to the American Addiction Centers' alcohol resource, roughly 6 million Americans live in cities or states that allow open alcohol containers in public.
The bill still needs to pass through both chambers of New Jersey's Legislature before it can be signed into law, but the movement seems to have widespread support. Last March, Atlantic City Council voted in favor of allowing open containers, and the city's police department is also in support of the move, according to Route 40.
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