Hawaii Senate takes up Maui dancing bill

Hawaii lawmakers are seeking to clarify a Maui County rule that limits where you can dance in places that serve liquor. 

The county’s liquor commission limits dancing to designated dance floors in bars and restaurants that sell alcohol. 

Maui residents have campaigned against the rule for years, arguing it infringes on their freedom of expression.

More than two-thirds of the Senate co-sponsored a bill that would require county liquor commissions to define the term “dancing” if they choose to regulate it.

Proponents of the measure say that it would erase the ambiguity surrounding the rule that allows for arbitrary enforcement. They say it’s an issue of constitutional rights.

The Maui Department of Liquor Control says the proposal is unnecessary because no businesses have been cited for violating the rule.