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Sunday alcohol bill passes big test

By James Salzer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

5:22 p.m. Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The chances of success for legislation letting voters legalize Sunday alcohol sales at stores got a lot better Wednesday when it easily zipped through a Senate committee.

In a dramatic contrast to past years, no one spoke out against the bill when it came before the Senate State and Local Governmental Operations Committee on Wednesday, and it passed on a 6-1 vote about 40 minutes after the meeting began.

Senate Rules Chairman Don Balfour, R-Snellville, a co-sponsor of the measure, said it could be on the Senate floor for a first-ever chamber vote by the middle of next week.

Balfour said he "feels good" about its chances of passing the Senate. It would then go to the House, where Regulated Industries Chairman Roger Williams, R-Dalton, said, "I am hoping it will go through with little or no problem."

If passed and signed into law by Gov. Nathan Deal, the issue could go to voters this fall in some cities.

The bill, which would let city councils and county commissioners set Sunday sales elections, has stalled for several years without getting to the Senate floor, often after strong opposition was voiced by religious conservatives. Even if it had passed, former Gov. Sonny Perdue, who left office last month, vowed to veto it.

The 2011 session brought a new governor, and Deal has said he supports letting local voters decide the issue. Also, the Senate bill was assigned to a new committee more favorable to the legislation.

"What's important is local people will be able to make their decisions about their community," said Sen. Butch Miller, R-Flowery Branch, the committee's chairman.

Jerry Luquire of the Georgia Christian Coalition said it didn't pay to fight the bill this time around.

"We're recognizing the fact that the governor is going to have his way," said Luquire, who plans to fight Sunday sales at the local level if the bill passes the General Assembly and is signed into law.

A liquor store lobbyist also said the industry would not oppose the bill this year.

Georgia is one of only three states -- along with Connecticut and Indiana -- that completely bans all alcohol sales at stores on Sundays, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

Georgians in some areas of the state can already buy beer, wine and liquor at bars, restaurants and sporting venues.

Grocery and convenience store groups have been pushing the legislation for several years. Polls also have shown strong support for the issue.

Amy Hillman, an Atlanta lawyer and mother, told the Senate committee Wednesday that she is so busy during the week and on Saturdays that Sunday is the only day she has time to grocery-shop. She said many mothers are in the same boat.

"We hope you will help us to have that flexibility to take care of all our needs on Sunday," she said.

A member of the committee, Sen. Donzella James, D-College Park, noted that her son was killed by a drunken driver in 1993. She has pushed for stronger driving laws for teenagers and tougher penalties for drunken drivers.

"I would rather for people to purchase it and take it home than for them to go to a bar or restaurant and drink and then get in the car," she said.

ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - In his most definite statement yet on the subject, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal said he will sign a Sunday alcohol sales bill, if it reaches his desk--provided it gives local voters the option of saying yes or no to legalization in their communities. Deal had previously said he would not veto such a bill. But this time, he said he would sign it. A bill setting up local votes on Sunday alcohol sales cleared a Senate committee this week. It now goes to the full Senate. What follows is the full exchange between the Governor and WABE's Denis O'Hayer

House Regulated Industries Committee Passes Sunday Alcohol Sales Bill
Filed under: House,Legislation — February 9, 2011 @ 11:09 am
The Associated Press reports this morning that the House Reulated Industries Committee passed its version of a bill that would allow Georgians to decide whether they want to allow the sales of alcoholic beverages on Sunday in their local city or county.


The race is now on to see which chamber, the House or the Senate, will pass the Sunday sales bill first.

Senate Bill 10 awaits a vote from the full Senate. House Bill 69 awaits a vote from the full House.

First past the post wins.

[c/p @ Georgia Politics Unfiltered]

Poll: Georgians Want a Vote
on Sunday Alcohol Sales

-- No matter the community, race or age, Georgians
overwhelmingly favor being allowed to vote to
decide whether to permit retail sales of beer, wine
and liquor on Sundays.

According to a recent poll by Atlanta-based The
Schapiro Group Inc., 78 percent of all Georgians
want the chance to head to the polls for Sunday
sales.

In favor:

Metro Atlanta -- 83 percent
Non-Metro -- 73 percent
Urban -- 82 percent
Suburban -- 82 percent
Rural -- 72 percent
White -- 76 percent
Black -- 83 percent
Democrat-- 84 percent
Republican -- 78 percent
Independent -- 72 percent
Ages 18 to 39 -- 84 percent
Ages 40 to 49 -- 80 percent
Ages 50 to 59 -- 76 percent
Ages 60 and over -- 68 percent

However, support for a local does not necessarily
translate into support for Sunday alcohol sales,
Schapiro Group noted. If given the opportunity to
vote on this in their community, 61 percent of
voters would vote in favor (52 percent definitely; 9
percent probably) and 32 percent would vote
against (26 percent definitely; 6 percent probably)
local sale of alcohol on Sundays.

"Voters are expressing a strong desire to have a say
on this matter," said Beth Schapiro, president of The
Schapiro Group, and longtime public affairs analyst.
"Some may not want alcohol sold on Sundays in
their own communities, but they definitely want to
make that decision themselves."

Schapiro Group's poll included 450 registered
Georgia voters who were interviewed by telephone
from Jan. 27 to Feb. 5.

The legislation to allow local votes on Sunday sales
sailed through a Georgia Senate committee on Feb.
2.

Sunday Alcohol Sales
Posted on February 11, 2011 by David Staples
I just sent this letter to a variety of Christian leaders within Georgia’s churches, organizations and within the General Assembly. I urge everyone to do the same…

By James Salzer

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
5:25 p.m. Friday, February 11, 2011
Supporters of legislation allowing Georgians to vote on Sunday sales of alcoholic beverages at stores released polls Friday suggesting Republican voters support the idea.
The Georgia Food Industry Association, which represents grocery stores, ran polls of likely Republican voters in five GOP state Senate districts across the state earlier this week.
They did so after the legislation appeared to stall again in state Senate, where Republican leaders have avoided a vote on the measure for several years. The poll's aim was to counter claims from Republican Senate opponents of the legislation, who argue that GOP voters don't want a Sunday sales vote.
Republican Gov. Nathan Deal has said he would sign the legislation if it passes the General Assembly. He voiced his support for allowing local referendums on the issue before the November election.
Legislation to let city councils and county commissioners hold Sunday sales votes has passed Senate and House committees. In the Senate, the bill is co-sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock and Senate Rules Chairman Don Balfour, R-Snellville.
Food Association lobbyists said they commissioned the poll of 300 likely Republican voters in the districts of five GOP state senators to measure support for the bill. The poll was conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, which polled for Deal's campaign. The poll has a margin of error of 5.7 percentage points.
In the South Georgia 13th Senate district, held by Sen. John Crosby, R-Tifton, the poll found 58 percent of those polled support the legislation, and 36 percent oppose it. The rest were undecided. In the west Georgia 29th district represented by Sen. Joshua McKoon, R-Columbus, the support rate was 72 percent. In the Cobb and Fulton County 32nd District of Sen. Judson Hill, R-Marietta, about 77 percent said they support the legislation.
In the 37th District Cobb County seat held by Sen. Lindsey Tippins, R-Marietta, the poll showed 83 percent support, and in the 46th District, held by Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, 72 percent said they supported the legislation.
Other recent polls have also shown support for the legislation. However, the Senate Republican Caucus' recent poll of some of the GOP's most conservative voters showed they oppose the sale of beer, wine and liquor at stores on Sunday.
Matt Towery, CEO of InsiderAdvantage, has polled the issue for several years.
He said it always polls very strongly in metro Atlanta, and poorly in South Georgia and far North Georgia.
Most lawmakers, he said, don't have to worry about losing re-election if they vote in support of allowing their constituents the right to decide on Sunday sales. But, in some cases, they may face a primary challenge from Sunday sales opponents in the summer of 2012.
"This is not an issue that is going to defeat a lot of people at the polls. It's simply not," he said. "What they've got to decide is do they have the courage to have a (primary) opponent. I don't think this is politically fatal to a lot of legislators, but it's fatal to their summer."

Raise The Sunday Alcohol Sales Bill From The Dead
Posted on February 18, 2011 by David Staples
Below is a letter I’m firing off to the Senators and Representatives in Georgia’s legislature shortly. I hope each of you will continue to contact your Senators and Representatives to urge them to pass this “no-brainer” legislation.

Dear Georgia Legislators,
I’m writing to you today regarding SB-10 and HB-69 – the Sunday alcohol sales bills. Thus far this session, I’m extremely disappointed that these bills have not been voted on publicly. I find it sadly amusing that Republicans constantly bash Obama for being a socialist, yet they impose their religious views on the state of Georgia when it comes to the sale of alcohol on a day that only a portion of the state observes as “the Lord’s day”. Furthermore, Obama understands that open and transparent government does not mean private and secret caucus meetings excluding those from the other political party while behind closed doors to decide issues. There is nothing open or transparent about that. Furthermore, as a resident of Powder Springs, by holding this private vote amongst Republicans only, you’ve excluded my state Senator, Steve Thompson, from having a say in the matter. Here’s a few of your own quotes that I’d like for you all to consider…

“While I support it, I certainly recognize there are a lot of people who do not support it, and if there is not the support, there is no need to continue to dwell on it. And we are moving onto the much more important issues: education, HOPE scholarships, balancing the budget and creating jobs,” he said. (Chip Rogers, via AJC article.)

There is no one line item that you can strike from the budget to balance it. It’s going to be a lot of little things. I’ve seen several different sources estimate that Georgia would take in a minimum of an extra $4M in taxes were retail sales of alcohol legalized on Sundays. Furthermore, this allows package stores to open an extra day of the week which has the ability to create more jobs. More sales means more deliveries which means more hours for the drivers (or more driver jobs). More deliveries means more fuel sales, which means more tax revenue derived from fuel sales.

“You do remember all that ‘land of the free’ mumbo jumbo, right?” (Barry Loudermilk, via Political Insider post – ‘They came for our toilets. Now, they want our light bulbs’)

So it’s the land of the free when it comes to light bulbs, but land of the TaliBaptists when it comes to alcohol, right? Let me guess, you want to be able to buy those light bulbs on Sunday too?

If Jesus can rise from the dead and bring Lazarus back from the dead, you all can bring Senate Bill 10 back from the dead. Alternatively, you could pass House Bill 69. It’s time for those hiding in back rooms to come out of the closet and vote on this publicly. Allow Georgians to see what their legislators are really up to. It’s not a matter of if a Sunday sales bill will pass… it’s when. That time is now.

David A. Staples

The piece below is written by Rich Sullivan, a moderator of the Georgians For Sunday Sales facebook page.

The news of SB-10′s likely defeat is frustrating but we must remain focused on the task at hand. If the law if to be changed, we must all become activists and focus on the key points of why the law needs to change. I wanted to take a moment to share with you some of the specific reasons why I am so adamant about seeing our current laws change.

1) Sunday sales will increase tax revenue and create jobs without raising taxes on anyone or cutting any program. Something like this is a no-brainer in any other legislative body.

2) Alcohol is a legal product, taxed and regulated by the government. Its manufacturers and marketers as well as those who distribute product in stores or restaurants have a vested interest in the message of responsibility – as do all of us.

3) The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States estimates the annual tax revenue to the State of Georgia from the retail sale of spirits alone on Sunday to be around $4m. Think of what that number jumps to if you’d include beer and wine.

4) All of us respect each others rights to practice our religions as we choose. We respect Christians or members of any other faith who wish to abstain from alcohol on Sunday. It simply stands directly in defiance of Lady Liberty to force one’s beliefs and practices upon an other.

5) In the end, we are fighting too, for the family owned gas station or convenience store in Augusta or Lagrange, or any other along the border. Every Sunday, these shops are handcuffed and see untold numbers of vehicles drive right by into neighboring States where they purchase alcohol, fuel and who knows what else. This happens 52 days a year. We need to keep that tax revenue, those dollars and those jobs inside the State of Georgia. SB-10 gives the people the right to decide for themselves. This is fair.

Georgia is one only 3 States with laws like this that hinder growth and encroach our rights. Keep in mind that this mentality is rooted deep here. Georgia is one of only 8 States that never signed the 21st Amendment – the one that repealed Prohibition. We’re gonna need everyone on board to get this done. We may need some to seek political office as well!!

By Edward Fulford
Senate Republicans, who in all probability were running scared from a political threat by conservative Christians, just lost their political cover.

At the start of this legislative session, Georgia lawmakers were enthusiastic about the chances for finally passing a bill to allow local referenda on Sunday alcohol sales.

Gov. Sonny Perdue and his promised veto were out. Gov. Nathan Deal, who has said he would sign Sunday sales legislation, is in.

Under this new regime, Senate Bill 10 passed unanimously out of committee and its counterpart in the House similarly sailed through.

But, magically, soon after senators heard that church groups were taking down the names of the folks who supported the bill, a constitutional concern arose.

The Georgia Constitution, these politicians fretted, places the power to control alcohol sales with the state.

They said they feared allowing local constituencies to have their say would run counter to that principle.

Thankfully, that constitutional concern has been laid to rest. Called in by bill sponsor Sen. John Bulloch, R-Ochlocknee, Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens has issued an opinion on the measure.

Mr. Olens said there would be no constitutional conflict in allowing local governments to put referenda on the ballot to decide on the sale of alcohol on Sundays at grocery and convenience stores.

That's good news for grocery and convenience stores - which are open on Sundays anyway - and bad news for liquor stores, which will have to pay employees to come in on Sunday in order to compete.

It's also bad news for teetotaler Christians who hope to inflict their brand of religion on the rest of us god-fearing folk who see nothing wrong with having an occasional beer, a shot (in moderation), or a glass of wine with dinner.

These strange bedfellows are both lobbying against giving the people a voice in whether local communities should allow Sunday sales.

Now, it's up to Republicans who espouse small government and local control to live up to those values.

The Senate Republican caucus, which has bottled up SB10, should pop the cork.

Remember: Folks who buy their groceries on Sunday also vote. And we will remember those who decided against the convenience of the many in favor of the prudishness of a few, and against the economic benefit of communities statewide in favor of liquor store lobbyists.

This is a good example when state government should not be picking winners and losers. The choice of whether stores should sell beer, wine and liquor on Sundays should be left up to the will of the voters who live in a given community.

Edward Fulford is an editorial writer for the Savannah Morning News.

edward.fulford@savannahnow.com.