Representative Diane Russell of Portland has confirmed that the LD 901 bill, which would have prohibited minors from entering venues like The Big Easy and Port City Music Hall—no exceptions, was unanimously voted down after she set forth a motion following the public hearing that happened today at 1 P.M.
“In the end, it was not a bill I supported, but I wanted to give them a chance,” Rep. Russell said in a phone interview following the vote.
The bill was originally recommended by Portland’s Nightlife Oversight Committee and unanimously endorsed by the Public Safety Committee, and Rep. Russell said she sponsored it to give them an opportunity to make their case.
After a public hearing that was attended by members of the local music industry including Sam Pfeifle and Patrick May of the Portland Music Foundation, WCYY DJ Mark Curdo, and Port City Music Hall administrator Rob Evon, Rep. Russell called the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs into a work session and, shortly after, made a motion to vote down the bill.
“We were really pleased with the turnout,” Pfeifle said in a phone interview. He said that WCSH6 anchor Lee Nelson was present, in opposition to the bill, because his son plays in a band.
Just a day ago, Pfeifle, who also writes for the Portland Phoenix, sent a PMF newsletter via e-mail and Facebook informing subscribers about the bill and the public hearing that happened today. He also gave subscribers various opportunities to speak out by providing contact information for the Portland Music Foundation and members of the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs.
Pfeifle said the Portland Music Foundation e-mail address received a lot of messages.
“We printed out 30 that were cream of the crop, some of them were—lets just say—not polite,” Pfeifle said.
Pfeifle said this bill appeared in the middle of a greater initiative the Portland Music Foundation is lobbying to make venues more accessible to minors.
He said Will Ethridge, owner of Eternal Otter Records and also a PMF board member, presented the committee his master thesis on the impact of liquor laws on the live music industry where he used Port City Music Hall as a case study. Pfeifle said that when Port City Music Hall was given a 21+ age restriction by a licensor in 2008, Rob Evon reported that potential losses were in the thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands.
Looking forward now, Rep. Russell said that she believes this will open a greater dialog between the city of Portland and the local music community.
“What the benefit of this was that people at the state level don’t realize how amazing the music community is,” Rep. Russell said. ”Lets work together to protect our young people while protecting the vibrancy of our downtown.”
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