The Pennsylvania House could possibly vote on a proposal to privatize liquor sales as soon as tonight. And no, it’s not the privatization bill House Majority Leader Mike Turzai put forth back in July. Rather it’s a hybrid proposal that, for better or worse, will give beer distributors the ability to sell wine, supermarkets to sell beer and bars to sell as much as 30 beers per transaction over the bar, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Still what’s interesting is, it will not bring an end to the LCB as we know it, and it certainly won’t get the state out of the business of selling booze by any measure.
House Liquor Committee Chairman John Taylor, who introduced the new proposal that the committee signed off on today, was reportedly not too keen on Turzai’s plan to eliminate as many as 4,000 state jobs. Under his plan, the State’s Wine & Spirits Shops will still be the only place where spirits and liquor will be sold. But, supermarkets, provided they have a separate area cordoned off and a dedicated cash register for boozy transactions, will compete with liquor stores and beer distributors in selling wine. An amendment to the bill makes additional provisions for: extended state store hours on Sundays; will allow more state stores to open on Sundays; allows coupon and rewards programs; and gives the LCB flexibility of pricing.
New liquor system proposed in Pennsylvania House [Tribune-Review]
Earlier: The Only Thing Pennsylvanians Hate More Than The LCB Are the Plans to Scrap It
