Residents at Meadowood Retirement Community were delighted Tuesday afternoon as a bill that would change the law and restore the community's ability to serve alcohol passed another hurdle in the Indiana General Assembly.
The bill, which would allow Meadowood and similar facilities to serve alcohol without having to obtain a state permit, as restaurants and bars are required to, received unanimous approval from an Indiana Senate committee and has been sent to the full Senate for consideration.
In April, Indiana Excise Police told the Bloomington retirement community it no longer could serve alcohol because it didn't have a permit; an oversight in state code doesn't list "senior residence facility" alongside locations that wouldn't require the license, such as a convention center or airplane.
Meadowood looked into getting a three-way liquor license — which would allow the facility to serve beer, wine and liquor — but it was costly and would prevent residents from bringing their own drinks to dinner.
So residents took the initiative and reached out first to Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and then to the Legislature. Their move has paid off, so far.
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