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The state House is poised to vote this week on a bill that would privatize the sale of liquor and spirits in Pennsylvania.

(File photo/PennLive)

The perennial debate over whether Pennsylvania should be in the business of selling liquor has begun.

Republicans support a privatization bill that would gradually shutter the existing state-run stores as licenses are auctioned off to private enterprises. Democrats, meanwhile, are again making the case for modernization with a familiar raft of changes that would make the existing stores more customer friendly.

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Gov. Tom Wolf, when asked about the issue earlier this month, summed up his position:

"I'm for Sunday sales. I'm for figuring out how we can open up state stores in supermarkets. I'm for direct sales. I'm for finding ways to make this better for our consumers."

A number of those reforms are already being addressed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, which oversees beer distribution and runs more than 600 wine and spirits stores statewide. In general, however, major changes must first pass the General Assembly.

For their part, the PLCB has not weighed in on the debate.

"The PLCB's role is to regulate the sale of wine and spirits based on the current Liquor Code and provide the best customer service we can to our consumers," said Stacy Kriedeman, in a written statement. "The policy discussion regarding the future of this agency is for the Governor and the General Assembly to decide."

On Wolf's first point, Sunday sales, the current law is a complex web of special permits and exceptions governing restaurants and distributors. The PLCB, meanwhile, currently operates 175 stores statewide on Sunday (see the full list below).

During last year's debate, the recently ousted Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware County, pitched his own modernization proposal which would have extend Sunday sales to all stores, and with longer hours.

When it comes to The PLCB also 19 of what the board calls "one-stop" liquor stores with an interior connection to a supermarket. Another 225 stores are situated in shopping plazas with a supermarket nearby.

Other markets, such as the Wegman's in Mechanicsburg, have obtained restaurant licenses that allow them to sell beer in the normal six-pack configurations sold in most neighboring states. The actual point of sale, however, is separate from the rest of the market.

A plan outlined by Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, R-Bucks County, included, among other things, expanding such in-market stores.

Wolf's spokesman, Jeff Sheridan, also cited the DiGirolamo plan in explaining the last key point of the governor's modernization plan.

"Governor Wolf believes modernization should include direct shipping by any licensed producer, supplier, importer, wholesaler, distributor or retailer to residents of Pennsylvania," Sheridan said. "This could also include direct-to-store shipping, where a resident may order a delivery to a select liquor store for pick up."

The House Minority Whip, Rep. Mike Hanna, D-Clinton, said Monday that the state needs to try to maximize the existing system's profitability before attempting to sell it off. Modernization, he said, means making the process as convenient as possible for the consumer.

"What our constituents are telling us is they want to have the ability to get alcohol at convenient times and locations and in convenient packages," he said. "I think we can do all that."