Rep. George Eskridge, R-Dover, is pushing a motion to head off a proposal from the state Liquor Division to allow the 7 busiest state liquor stores to stay open as late as 9 p.m., rather than closing at 7 p.m., a move the agency expects to bring a $2 million return. Eskridge said, "We have to recognize there is an issue between making money and responsible use," he said. "This is a gettin'-in-trouble time. This is when the parties start winding out of their refreshments, and people say, 'Let's just make one more stop, the liquor store's still open, we can go down and get some more and we can party-hearty longer. I think that deviates from the mission,"

Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, offered a substitute motion setting the budget for the Liquor Division for next year while leaving out Eskridge's change. "They can actually make some money for the state," she said. Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, said tourists in her district often don't arrive until evening, or get off the lake or the ski slopes, and they need to stock their condos; the later hours make sense for that, she argued.

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