to amend Chapter 11 of the Palau National Code (PNC), subsection 1015 – as amended by Republic of Palau Public Law (RPPL) 6-14, which enacted in 2003 – was passed in the House of Delegates yesterday and will soon become law if the president approves and signs it.
RPPL 6-14 mandates that cabarets and nightclubs be open for business from 4:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. during weekdays; and be allowed to remain open until 4:00 a.m. on weekends – except Sunday nights – and on nights proceeding legal holidays.
House Bill No. 7-172-29S proposes to change the closing time of all cabarets and nightclubs to be restricted to 2:00 a.m. regardless of weekends or holidays. The bill was forwarded to the Senate and was referred to its JGA’s Committee for review and recommendations.
The Senate’s JGA Committee found that since the enactment of RPPL 6-14 in 2003, there has been an alarming rise in alcohol related incidents in Palau. The Committee states in its report to the Senate that “in 2007, alcohol-related car accidents became the second leading cause of the death in [Palau],” and the leading cause of death of people ages 17 to 24. The committee further states that more than a third of all the alcohol-related accidents occurred after midnight as shown in statistic from the Bureau of Public Safety (BPS) and the Ministry of Health (MOH).
In addition, the committee indicated that BPS “has had to contend with increased alcohol-related violations involving minors” and has dealt with a significant increase of alcohol-related disturbances and altercations.
Further, the committee conferred with cabaret, bar, and nightclub owners about the about the bill – to which some have concurred.
Despite concerns that the earlier closing time of 2:00 a.m. – as proposed in the bill – could affect the financial interests of the businesses, the committee (as do the introducers of the bill) opts “to protect the health and safety of all the people in the [Palau]” and recommends its passage through the Senate.
Based on the recommendations of the Senate’s JGA Committee, the bill was passed in the Senate and returned to the HOD for further review and final passage.
Members of the HOD adhered to the recommendations and findings of the introducers of the bill and the Senate’s JGA Committee; and voted to pass the bill on its final reading.
