Sunday liquor sales vote could be close

A vote to lift the state ban on Sunday liquor sales is expected during the current Minnesota legislative session.

And advocates on both sides of the issue are expecting a closer vote than previous years. Previous repeal attempts on the 80-year-old law were denied by a 42-22 state Senate vote in 2014 and a 106-21 state House vote in 2013.

"We've been hearing both sides of the story," said Republican St. Cloud representative Tama Theis. "We will continue to have those debates. It's not truly a black or white issue."

Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt, a current supporter of the repeal bill who previously voted against it, told multiple media outlets recently that a 2015 vote will be held on the issue and gave it a 50-50 shot on passing. Democrat Gov. Mark Dayton previously pledged that he would sign a repeal bill into law if it gets to his desk.

Minnesota is one of 12 U.S. states that bans Sunday retail liquor sales.

"From an economic standpoint, I would like to see the law repealed," argues Brian Laudenbach of JM Companies, which operates four Central Minnesota liquor stores in addition to 22 area convenience stores.

Laudenbach testified with other liquor store owners last week during an informational state congressional hearing.

JM Companies runs Sunrise Liquor of St. Cloud and other stores in St. Joseph, Foley and Pequot Lakes.

"There's a big misconception that all liquor store owners are opposed to lifting the ban," Laudenbach said. "There's a long list of fixed expenses when running a liquor store whether you are open six days a week or seven. There's bills for rent, utilities, payroll, advertising and inventory holding costs in this industry that don't change.

"We aren't asking to make every liquor store open on Sunday but I just want the option to be open on Sunday to better service those overhead expenses."

The Teamsters Joint Council 32 union has a different vision of how a potential repeal would impact the local economy.

The group that serves as the bill's biggest opponent represents the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association, the Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association and the Minnesota Beer Wholesale Association — interest groups for liquor retailers, distributors and wholesalers. Teamsters Joint Council 32 offers contributions to some political campaigns.

"They view lifting the ban as essentially putting their stores at an economic disadvantage," argues Teamsters Joint Council 32 spokesperson Leslie Rosedahl. "Alcohol sales are not going to rise dramatically. People will just buy the same amount. But the cost of running a business will go up.

"And while being open on Sunday would be a choice, they would essentially have to be open to stay competitive."

Teamsters Joint Council 32 recently announced it will not contest Sunday growler sales from craft brewers, but will fight to keep the Sunday ban as is. While Rosedahl agreed that the vote could be closer than previous years, she disagreed with Daudt's 50-50 voting split notion and was confident the repeal attempt will fail again.

A 2013 poll conducted by Public Policy Polling found that 62 percent of Minnesotans favored a repeal of the Sunday ban.

A consumer public protest was organized in March when a 40-car convoy driving from the state capital to purchase beer across the border in Wisconsin, one of 38 U.S. states that allows Sunday liquor sales.

"It seems like the influence of the industry has overpowered the influence of constituents on this issue," argues activist Andrew Schmitt, who helped organize the March rally and serves as co-host on the podcast called Minnesota BeerCast.

"It doesn't make any sense to me that I can buy a beer and drink it in a bar on Sunday but I can't buy one and drink it at my home," Schmitt said.

Follow Jake Laxen on Twitter @jacoblaxen.