GOP convention drinkers could sip later

ST. PAUL, Minn., April 1 (UPI) -- Republican national convention-goers could watch the sun rise while ordering a tequila sunrise if Minnesota lawmakers OK a bill extending the drinking time.

Up for consideration in the Minnesota House of Representatives is a bill that would push back the 2 a.m. last call to 4 a.m. for establishments within a 10-mile radius of the convention site in St. Paul, Minn., a blog of The New York Times reported. The bill would expand the hours and allow Sunday alcohol sales -- normally banned -- for 11 days surrounding the Sept. 1-4 gathering.

"Las Vegas is open all night long and New Orleans is open till dawn," said Rep. Phyllis Kahn, D-Minneapolis and a proposal co-sponsor. "I spend a lot of time in cities like New York and Montreal and they all seem to have later drinking times."

If a watering hole objects to a later closing, it is free to close at 2 a.m.

"The 2 a.m. closing hour is actually pretty common," Kahn said. "But Paris and London barely have closing times at all."