Bill Would Privatize Pa. Liquor Sales

By Kara Seymour

Pennsylvania lawmakers may vote as soon as this week to privatize the sale of alcohol throughout the state, according to reports.

The State House of Representatives plan to vote on a bill that 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 bill, which was approved Monday by the House Liquor Control Committee by a 15-10 vote, 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.

(Image via Shutterstock)

_____________________

Check out these other Patch stories:

• THON 2015 Raises More Than $13M
• New Cezanne Works Discovered at Barnes Foundation
• 19 Philadelphia Chefs, Restaurants Up for James Beard Awards
• Our Red Pandas Are Just as Cute as Yours, Cincinnati