Push for Sunday alcohol sales comes up empty for 2013

Volume 121: February 18, 2013

Push for Sunday alcohol sales comes up empty for 2013

February 13, 2013

The latest push for Sunday alcohol sales appears to be dead for the 2013 legislative session.

A spokesperson for Indiana House Public Policy Committee chairman Bill Davis, R-Portland, tells Fox59 that the committee will not meet Wednesday and that there will be no vote on House Bill 1146. The measure would allow for Sunday carryout sales of alcohol at grocery, convenience, drug and liquor stores.

Currently, carryout sales are limited to restaurants, bars, breweries and wineries.

The committee heard the bill last week-the first time that's ever happened. The next step-a vote on the measure-won't materialize.

State representatives Sean Eberhart, R-Shelbyville, and Terry Austin, D-Anderson, filed the bill.

Lawmakers said allowing liquor sales on Sunday could potentially generate more tax revenue for Indiana. Many grocery and chains supported the bill, saying that Sunday is their second-biggest shopping day of the week.

Liquor stores, however, opposed the change. They argued that allowing alcohol sales on Sunday would force them to pay staff for an extra day of work and spread out sales over seven days. They also worry about competition from stores.

Religious leaders and addiction counselors also voiced their opposition to the bill during a hearing last week, saying they were worried about the effects of expanded sales on underage consumption and binge drinking.

Link: http://fox59.com/2013/02/13/push-for-sunday-alcohol-sales-comes-up-empty-for-2013/#ixzz2Ktzlzaef

Source: FOX 59

Sunday alcohol sales defeated for now

February 15, 2013

A push to allow Sunday alcohol sales in Indiana is dead at the Statehouse.

Indiana House Public Policy Committee Chairman Bill Davis (R-Portland) has decided against holding a committee vote on legislation to allow Sunday alcohol sales. As chairman, it's his call.

"We have ample opportunities for people to be able to have access to alcohol in the state of Indiana," he said. "It's not like we can't get it six days a week. It's not an issue that I think is urgent. I think we have time as we go forward to deal with this issue."

Alcohol sales are handled differently in each of the 50 states. But Indiana has the nation's broadest restrictions on Sunday sales: a ban of beer, wine and liquor sales at grocery and package liquor stores. The blue law has been on the books since Prohibition, initially for religious reasons and later for economic reasons.

Most recently, the liquor store lobby has blocked the change, arguing that allowing Sunday sales would give nationally-owned grocery stores an advantage and drive smaller, locally owned, package liquor stores out of business. Package liquor stores are the most heavily regulated in Indiana.

Chairman Davis' committee heard four hours of public testimony Feb. 6, mostly from Indiana residents and a few lobbyists for and against the measure. Davis said he noted members of the public showed up in large numbers at the hearing.

"I think the public has expressed how they feel about Sunday sales of alcohol," said Davis. "And I don't think through the hearing process, the other side made a good argument for change."

Davis said Sunday sales is not a pressing issue - he pointed toward education and job creation as priorities - and he expected to consider legislation again in 2014.

John Livengood, president of the Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers, believes that Davis' decision is good news for consumers. He pointed to a study that package liquor stores would close if sales were expanded.

According to a study by the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University, allowing Sunday sales would reduce the number of package liquor stores in Indiana by about 25 percent. Shoppers, said director Mike Hicks, would pick up alcohol when they're out grocery shopping on the weekend.

Source: Journal Review Online

Kentucky: Poll shows Kentuckians overwhelmingly oppose expanding alcohol sales

February 12, 2013

A statewide poll of Kentucky residents released today shows Kentuckians are strongly opposed to expanding the sale of alcohol products like vodka, whiskey and wine to retail outlets like truck stops, gas stations, dollar stores and grocery stores. By an overwhelming margin, Kentuckians also said in the poll that alcohol products like vodka, whiskey and wine should not be sold in stores that allow children and teenagers on the premises. Kentucky voters also believe that increasing access to alcohol will lead to more increased levels of teen drinking and higher rates of problems caused by alcohol abuse.

The poll, commissioned by http://www.FACTKY.org and conducted by Harper Polling, asked 1,096 likely voters in Kentucky a series of questions concerning the sale of alcohol in the Commonwealth. The poll was conducted Feb. 7-8, 2013 and has a margin of error of +/- 2.96 percent.

"These poll results are clear," said Gary Gerdemann, spokesman for FACTKy.org. "Kentuckians know that expanding alcohol sales to truck stops, convenience stores, dollar stores and grocery stores will lead to more teen drinking and more alcohol problems.and nearly 60 percent of Kentucky voters are against it."

Kentuckians responding to the poll also showed an interest in the livelihood of locally owned mom-and-pop liquor stores that provide jobs to residents in the state. Over half of respondents said that allowing truck stops, gas stations, dollar stores and grocery stores to sell liquor and wine would hurt mom-and-pop liquor stores and cost Kentucky jobs.

The poll showed that the majority of Kentuckians are against the expansion of alcohol sales, especially when it concerns liquor and wine being within easy reach of the state's youth. With nearly 600 available liquor licenses in Kentucky, two thirds of respondents (66 percent) said they are not in favor of allowing establishments where underage minors frequently shop or work receive licenses.

"Judge Heyburn was clear in his stay ruling," Gerdemann said. "He was giving the Kentucky Legislature time to take action before the Court of Appeals could uphold his decision and prevent this dramatic change in alcohol policy from occurring. We urge the legislature to take action and prevent the largest increase in alcohol outlets in the Commonwealth since Prohibition ended."

To read more, click this link: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/2/prweb10423134.htm

Source: PR Web

Pennsylvania: Public support declines for liquor privatization

State stores enjoy more support than Governor Corbett in latest poll

February 11, 2013

After two years of public debate in Pennsylvania over liquor privatization, public opinion is shifting in favor of the current state store system said the Independent State Store Union (ISSU), the union that represents 720 state store managers.

ISSU cited polling numbers from the latest Keystone Poll, conducted by Franklin and Marshall College, as proof that the public is paying attention to this very important public policy debate and they are not buying the empty promises of privatization profiteers.

"Privatization is a 'sound bite' that usually polls well but as voters learn the specific details and impacts of such plans, privatization loses its luster with the public," said David Wanamaker, spokesperson for ISSU.

The latest polling reveals an overall decline of 16% in public support for privatization. A June, 2011 poll by Quinnipiac University indicated that 69% of respondents supported privatization; the current Keystone Poll showed only 53% of those surveyed supporting privatization.

Additionally, while the latest Keystone Poll indicates moderate support for privatization, that support is "soft" at best. The poll reported that only 34% "strongly support" privatization while another 19% "somewhat support" the concept.

ISSU contends that as the privatization debate continues, facts will replace empty promises and public support will continue to diminish.

"When Rep. Turzai rolled out his privatization plan, he did so with the promise of generating $2 billion in new revenue for the Commonwealth. This grossly inflated revenue projection helped to artificially inflate public support for privatization. The promise of significant revenue -- without a tax increase -- made it easier for normally conservative Pennsylvanians to accept a bad idea. When the revenue projection was proven to be significantly exaggerated and unrealistic, public support started to wane," Wanamaker said.

Wanamaker also attributes the decline in support to the realization that increased convenience, better selection and lower prices would not materialize under privatization as promised.

"The liquor and wine privatization experiment playing out in the state of Washington is just the most recent example that privatization has been a failure in other states. Despite the lofty promises of cheaper prices, increased selection and improved convenience, the opposite have occurred," he said.

Source: Yahoo! News

Visit our website: Project RAD www.ProjectRAD.com