Minnesota House rejects bid to lift ban on Sunday alcohol sales

Minnesota lawmakers made it clear Wednesday that they prefer keeping a ban on Sunday liquor store sales in place.

During the debate of a broader liquor bill, members of the Minnesota House soundly rejected a perennial amendment to lift the ban on Sunday sales. The vote was 106 against to 21 in favor. Rep. Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester, proposed the change which would have allowed stores to decide whether to open on Sundays.

Minnesota is among just a dozen states that still prohibit Sunday sales, Liebling said.

"Responsible consumers simply want the opportunity to shop on Sunday, which is a day that many people want to go out and shop, a day that many of them are not working," Liebling said. "We should not allow an industry to say we don't want to compete on one day of the week."

Amendment opponents argued that liquor store owners don't want the change. small liquor stores would be hurt the most, said House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, R-Crown.

"They see this as increasing their overhead by 15 percent without increasing sales. It's very simple. They do not want this," Daudt said. "If we do pass this, they feel they'll be forced to be open on Sundays to compete with the big box liquor stores that are encroaching on territory they've had for years."

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