INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana House members couldn't get the backing Monday to add new ingredients to a bill aimed at allowing carryout sales of alcohol on Sundays.
The efforts, proposed in the form of three amendments, weren’t meant to derail the bill but to add elements attempted previously.
They included the addition of security measures at convenience stores and asking an alcohol code revision commission to look at amending alcohol statutes based on health issues, among other concerns. Both of the amendments were withdrawn by the author, Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis.
House Bill 1051 passed a third reading in the House without amendments. Under the bill, groceries, convenience stores, drug stores and other permit-holders could sell alcohol from noon to 8 p.m. on Sundays.
In a third unsuccessful amendment, Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, argued that legislators should extend the Sunday hours to match those during the week.
"It would save us the ridicule of coming back here in a couple of years from now and having to change the hours again," Pierce said.
House Bill 1051 author Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn, said he wanted the bill to focus only on one element of what had been recommended by the Alcohol Code Revision Commission during its summer study sessions.
Another piece of Sunday sales legislation, Senate Bill 1 by Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, passed out of the Senate Public Policy Committee on Jan. 18. An attempt to amend the bill to allow sales from 7 a.m. until 3 a.m. failed by a voice vote.
The bill would also allow restaurants that satisfy the requirements to sell carryout to also sell alcoholic beverages on Sundays.
The bill passed on third reading Monday in the Senate and now heads to the House.
In an unsuccessful attempt to expand the outlets for cold beer sales, Senate Bill 26 effectively failed Jan. 17 by a 9-1 in the Senate Public Policy Committee. Currently, cold beer can only be sold in package liquor stores. Sen. Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, was the lone committee member to vote for the expansion.