Study Committee Recommends Alcohol Law Changes

Public Policy Study Committee chair Rep. Matt Lehman (R-Berne) says the goal of his committee’s review of Indiana’s alcohol laws was to explore possible inconsistencies and recommend changes to the full General Assembly.

Lehman says those recommendations include a look at the state’s alcohol fees.

“Especially the neighbors around us – where are they at compared to us? I think I saw where maybe it was Ohio or Michigan, their carrier fee is $100 a year…or maybe it’s $100 for three years…but ours is five bucks,” Lehman says.

But the recommendations don’t include anything about allowing Sunday alcohol carryout sales or allowing retailers other than liquor stores to sell cold beer.

Rep. Todd Huston (R-Fishers) wonders why.

“There may be a rationale for all of it,” he says. “But it does strike me as odd that some people can sell on Sunday, other people can’t. It strikes me as odd that we allow some people to sell a certain type of product, the guy next door can’t.”

Recommendations approved by the committee include a review of the state’s alcohol permitting and licensing system.