Amy Haneline

IndyStar

January brings another session of the Indiana General Assembly — and another attempt to lift the state's ban on carryout sales of alcohol on Sundays.

House Public Policy Chairman Tom Dermody has filed a bill, serving up the state's latest chance to remove the Prohibition-era restriction.

A bill introduced by the LaPorte Republican last year brought the state closer than it has ever been to removing the ban. His role in crafting the measure is key because the bill must make it through his committee before it can move to the full House for a vote.

House Bill 1399 would allow sales on Sundays provided retailers meet a number of requirements, conditions that also were outlined in his previous proposal.

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Salesclerks who deal with alcohol would have to be 21 or older and receive alcohol-server training and permits. The bill also would place restrictions on groceries, pharmacies and convenience stores when displaying alcoholic products, such as requiring that minibottles be accessible only by staff and out of the reach of children and that bottles of liquor are not displayed near toys, candy or school supplies.

State law now prohibits minors from entering package liquor stores and requires their salesclerks to be 21 or older and receive server training.

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But the “biggest change, and the thing that caused the biggest controversy,” Dermody said, has been taken out of the new proposal — the amendment that would have required groceries and the like to sell liquor from behind a counter.

The stricter requirements, particularly the behind-the-counter restriction, turned the tables the last go-around. Grocery stores, which have traditionally supported Sunday sales, began lobbying against the bill, which they said would inconvenience customers and require expensive store remodeling.

While that provision is not included in the current bill, the measure's ability to pass is still questionable.

Patrick Tamm, who represents liquor stores as CEO of the Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers, said the bill is “nowhere near what (Dermody) brought forth last year” and wants to see a more "comprehensive approach" toward how and where alcohol is sold.

Liquor store retailers fear that Sunday sales would shrink their share of the alcohol market, and they are fighting for more equal laws across the board. Liquor stores, for instance, are prohibited from selling cold soda and other types of goods.

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Grant Monahan, who represents grocery chains as president of the Indiana Retail Council, said his group had yet to “reach a decision” on the bill.

“We need to look at it further, and our members need to take a hard look at it as well and think about their own individual store operations to see how this bill would work for us and our customers,” he said.

Despite initial support for Sunday alcohol sales expressed last year by Kroger and Wal-Mart, House leaders and an advocacy group, Dermody ended up not calling the measure to a vote, saying it lacked the votes to pass.

The next step for the reworked bill is to go to committee for a hearing.

“I learned a lot from last year,” Dermody said. “I re-evaluated. Other issues can still be dealt with in the future and can still have discussion, but at least the Sunday sales bill should come to the floor, hopefully for a vote.”

Call IndyStar reporter Amy Haneline at (317) 444-6281. Follow her on Twitterand Instagram @amybhaneline, and Facebook.