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Return Of Happy Hour Awaits Rauner's OK

Happy hour drink specials have been banned in Illinois since the late 1980s, but they could make a comeback under a measure that's awaiting the governor's signature.

The proposal would restrict specials to four hours a day and no happy hour deals after 10 p.m. 

Sponsor Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, says it modernizes the law. 

"All local governments are allowed to make those changes if they want them to be lower," she said. "They can't go beyond what we've done, but they can certainly go beneath us. So I believe the bill is a reflection of the current marketplace."

Some opponents say happy hour specials lead to excessive drinking and drunk driving.

The measure passed the Illinois House and Senate and now needs the approval of Gov. Bruce Rauner to become law.

Lisa Ryan is a graduate student in the public affairs reporting program at the University of Illinois at Springfield. She previously worked at Indiana Public Radio and the college radio station founded by David Letterman. She is a 2014 broadcast journalism and political science graduate of Ball State University.