Alcohol Privatization Bill Clears Pa. House

By Kara Seymour

A bill that would privatize alcohol sales in Pennsylvania passed the state House of Representatives Thursday.

The bill would sell the retail and wholesale operations of the state Liquor Control Board and create 1,200 licenses to sell alcohol, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Beer distributors would have the first opportunity to buy the licenses, the report said.

The House passed the bill by a 114-to-87 vote. Five hours of debate preceded that vote, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The bill would permit grocery stores to sell wine. Stores that are now allowed to sell six-packs could continue doing so, the Inquirer said.

The bill was approved Monday by the House Liquor Control Committee by a 15-10 vote. It is basically the same as one that passed the House in 2013, according to PennLive.com.

“At the end of the day, this is a private retail and wholesale business that, in every other state except for one, is managed by the private sector,” Committee Chairman Rep. Chris Ross, R-Chester said in a report by the Allentown Morning Call. “We don’t have state grocery stores. We don’t have state gas stations.”

If the bill passes and is signed by the governor, all but 100 of the 600 state-owned liquor stores would close, the Morning Call said.

However, Gov. Tom Wolf has said he would veto the bill, multiple news outlets have reported.

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