Indiana Senate approves Sunday carryout alcohol sales

Tony Cook
IndyStar
Liquor is kept behind the counter at a Ricker's convenience store in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, March 23, 2017. Servers must bring the beer to a patron's table in the store's restaurant area. After the chain's lawyers realized the in-store restaurants qualified for cold beer sales, this Ricker's location and one in Sheridan, Ind., obtained the required licenses to serve cold beer to patrons for consumption in the restaurant or to-go. The Columbus location also sells liquor for consumption outside of the restaurant. To many in the liquor store industry, Ricker's use of this loophole seems like an attempt to cut into an area that has previously been domain of liquor stores, which are subject to additional regulations.

Sunday carryout alcohol sales is closer than ever to becoming reality in Indiana.

The Senate voted 39-10 to repeal the state's Prohibition-era ban on Sunday alcohol sales at liquor, grocery and convenience stores. It's the first time such a measure has passed either chamber of the General Assembly. 

The House could vote on an identical bill as early as Tuesday. 

The measure, Senate Bill 1, would allow stores that sell alcohol, including grocery, convenience and liquor stores, to sell alcohol from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Efforts to expand those hours failed in both chambers.

Still, the Senate approval is a huge win for supporters of Sunday sales, a topic that has never even received a hearing in the Senate in the past. 

Approval comes after a Senate panel last week knocked down another popular alcohol reform that would have expanded cold beer sales to convenience and grocery stores. Now, cold beer is almost exclusively the domain of the state's small but powerful liquor store industry.

Sen. Ron Alting, chairman of the Senate Public Policy Committee, last week attributed the success of the Sunday sales measure to an unlikely alliance between liquor stores and the state's retail council, which represents grocers and big box stores. 

Under the deal, both groups are supporting Sunday sales while opposing expanded cold beer sales. 

Even if the House approves its own identical version, House Bill 1051, both the Senate and House measures will have to be heard and voted on by the opposite chamber. 

Gov. Eric Holcomb would then have to sign the measure for it to become law. 

Call IndyStar reporter Tony Cook at (317) 444-6081. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

More:Senate panel kills cold beer bill while Sunday alcohol sales gains momentum

Poll:Hoosiers want Sunday alcohol sales, cold beer in stores