The law of unintended consequences got put through its paces Wednesday in the Colorado state Senate’s Business, Labor and Technology Committee.

The committee gave its unanimous approval to a bill posed by Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert of Parker that would help about 35 rural businesses that represent a “choice of one” — a business in a rural community that serves as both the only restaurant and the only place one can buy packaged beer to drink at home or elsewhere.

Last year, the General Assembly, in getting ready for the Jan. 1, 2019, launch for grocery and convenience stores to sell full-strength beer, passed a bill that required businesses to make a choice. Either they could sell beer to be consumed off-premise or a patron could buy beer to consume with a meal.

Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert of Parker was one of the bipartisan sponsors of Senate Bill 243 last year. He told Colorado Politics that in his community, if you want to buy a beer at a liquor store, there are dozens of options. The same goes for buying beer to have with a meal in a restaurant — lots of options. 

But in rural communities like Weldona, there’s only one choice, Holbert said. In Weldona, 13 miles northwest of Fort Morgan, that’s The Last Stand.

It’s a place renowned for its burgers, fried chicken and burritos, and the only place you can buy a beer in that part of Morgan County, especially if you’re traveling from Fort Morgan to Jackson Lake State Park.

“What we didn’t realize with Senate Bill 243 is that there’s about 35 places in Colorado that are a ‘choice of one'” — where the business owner has to choose whether to hold an on-site or off-site liquor license, Holbert said. 

The Last Stand’s Richard Schiel and his daughter, Amy, testified Wednesday about the choice they’re being forced to make. They have until about mid-February to decide whether they will still sell beer in the restaurant or sell it for off-premise consumption. Giving up the off-premise license would cost them about 58 percent of their beer sales. 

Last Stand patrons also showed up in force to support their one and only restaurant. So did Jeannie McEvoy of the Colorado Licensed Beverage Association, who goes to The Last Stand when she’s in the area.

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According to its fiscal note, Senate Bill 28 allows licensing authorities to issue liquor licenses if the licensed premise is located in a county with a population of less than 35,000, or in an underserved area.

An underserved area is defined as an area that is within a county with a population of more than 35,000, but lies outside the municipal boundaries, or a city with a population of less than 7,500.

Of Colorado’s 64 counties, 47 counties, according to 2012 census information, have populations of 35,000 or less. That includes Morgan County, where The Last Stand is located.

The bill drew no opposition and the committee sent it to the Senate’s consent calendar, meaning that it will be voted on en masse in the Senate along with other bills that won unanimous approval in their committees and were recommended for the consent calendar.

“Thank you for this reminder for what life is like in rural Colorado,” Holbert said. “We should not put them out of business when both ways work for those little communities.”