Sunday Sales Legalized Sooner Under Change In Committee

Sunday alcohol carryout sales would become legal even earlier than expected under a legislative change made in a House committee Wednesday.

If passed, legislation to legalize Sunday alcohol sales from noon to 8 p.m. would have taken effect July 1, like most new laws. But Rep. Ben Smaltz (R-Auburn), the bill’s sponsor, says he’d rather see it take effect as soon as the governor signs it into law.

“And I can’t really come up with anything why we wouldn’t allow Hoosiers to do what we’re going to allow them to do on July 1, to go ahead and start doing that much, much sooner,” Smaltz says.

Lisa Hutcheson represents the Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking, which opposes the bill. She does like what she calls “safeguards” in separate legislation that would require server training and clerks selling alcohol to be at least 21-years-old and segregate all alcohol to one area in grocery stores.

But she says those provisions won’t take effect until 2019 or 2020.

“If we’re going to expand and increase the sales, why are the safeguards going into effect one or two years later?” Hutcheson says.

The committee advanced the amended bill 9-1.