N.H. Rep. Jared Sullivan told a disturbing story Tuesday in support of his bill to allow people to take an alcoholic beverage into the restroom at a restaurant.

Current law prohibits this practice, but the Bethlehem Democrat said it’s important to allow it so people can be in charge of their drinks at all times.

“An incredibly close friend of mine, one of my best friends, was roofied in a bar and woke up in a hotel room that wasn’t theirs and clearly had been raped,” he told the House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee.

“Roofied” refers to a drink that’s been spiked, incapacitating a person to make them more vulnerable to sexual assault. It got its name from Rohypnol, a central nervous system depressant that became known as a “date rape drug.”

Sullivan also said he recently learned from another person, a family member, that somebody once tampered with her drink in a bar.

“To me it just seems like when I was in college, there was a problem with people’s drinks being drugged at frat houses, and there was a big campaign at my college saying, ‘Always be in charge of your own drink, always be in control of your alcohol.’ ”

He said the bill would apply to all drinking establishments, which in New Hampshire are required to serve food and so are regarded as restaurants.

Sullivan said the current law stems from attempts to prevent underage drinking or discourage people from secretly adding alcohol to their own drinks.

But he said such things are of less concern to him than the problem of someone doctoring another person’s drink while they are in the restroom.

“I’m more concerned about people waking up in a hotel room after being raped, which is what happened to my close friend,” he reiterated.

Rep. John Hunt, R-Rindge, chairman of the House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee, said he hoped the assailant was prosecuted. Sullivan said the crime occurred in another state, and the rapist was never caught.

Hunt said one concern with House Bill 81 might be that while restaurants can be liable for an underaged person getting alcohol or for someone becoming intoxicated, the establishment’s staff wouldn’t necessarily know if such things were going on in the bathroom.

Sullivan said his proposal wouldn’t prevent restaurants from prohibiting drinks in restrooms, it would merely give them the option of allowing it.

Mike Somers, president and chief executive officer of the N.H. Lodging and Restaurant Association, spoke against the bill, saying it could increase the liability for restaurants.

“We’re monitoring our service area and have staff coming and going at all times. That’s not happening necessarily in a bathroom,” he said, adding the biggest concern would be adults giving alcohol to minors in restrooms.

Somers said he appreciated the crime that prompted the bill, but said he hoped restaurants could work with customers to prevent such incidents without allowing drinks in restrooms.

Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs for the N.H. Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, expressed support for the bill.

“Our crisis centers often hear harrowing stories about perpetrators using various substances to spike drinks, leaving victims incapacitated and vulnerable to sexual assault,” she said in an email.

“Initiatives like HB 81 give people the option of keeping their beverage with them while using restrooms at restaurants, because everyone has the right to feel safe and secure in public spaces.”

The House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee will eventually schedule a vote on the bill and forward it to the full House.

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