Why Governor Healey Suddenly Wants to Bring Back Happy Hour to Massachusetts

Saying she is for "more vibrancy," Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is suddenly all in for a return to the days when "happy hour" drink specials and discounts brought Bay Staters to the local watering hole on the way home from work for a cocktail or a few.

Why Was Happy Hour Banned in Massachusetts?

Happy hours were banned in Massachusetts in 1984 due to an increase in drunk driving cases and hard lobbying by groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

However, some (besides Healey) question whether the ban still makes sense.

Ride-Sharing and the Evolving Debate Over Drink Discounts

Martha McElroy wrote for the Journal of Health & Biomedical Law in 2022, "The rise of ride-sharing services, paired with studies that show happy hour bans having little to no effect on drunk driving statistics, all over the backdrop of restaurants struggling to recover from the pandemic, leave many wondering why the draconian ban is still in place."

Healey: Happy Hour Could End Exodus Of Young From Massachusetts

Can Happy Hour Stop the Massachusetts Youth Exodus?

State House News Service reported that Healey said on Boston radio station WEEI that she "personally" supports happy hour. The governor believes that reviving happy hour might reverse the exodus of young people from the state.

"But for me, it's especially, I really want 20-somethings, 18 to 35 year olds, staying in Boston, staying in Massachusetts," Healey said. "And we must create spaces for them to hang out and socialize."

READ MORE: New Bedford Won't Extend Bar Closings to 3 a.m.

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Where the Happy Hour Legislation Stands Now

AXIOS Boston reported there is support in the Senate for reviving happy hour, but not in the House. NBC 10 Boston reported in 2021 that a MassINC Polling Group survey found 70 percent of Massachusetts residents favored reviving happy hour, while 20 percent opposed the idea.