Indiana legislators are taking another look at sales of alcohol on Sunday.
The Interim Study Committee on Alcoholic Beverages Issues is taking public testimony today on allowing alcohol sales on Sundays and Election Day.
Grocery and convenience stores are pushing for the change, while most package liquor stores are against it.
Liquor store owners say that legalizing Sunday sales will drive them out of business. They expect the amount of sales to stay roughly the same but cannot handle the added expense of operating the store for another day.
Grocery stores say that Sunday sales are more convenient for consumers and would increase tax revenue.
Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) is the vice chairman of the committee. Alting said he thinks liquor sales should be allowed on Election Day, but is undecided about Sundays. He said he sees convenience as the only logical reason to allow sales on Sundays.
"I do not believe that it's going to generate one penny more in sales tax," Alting said, rejecting arguments that state revenues would increase.
Alting said he'll be looking for statistics on what the effects have been in other states that have legalized Sunday sales before forming an opinion.
Linda Koger, who owns Muncie Liquors, said the initiative isn't about consumer choice.
"It's a corporate move by the big box stores and the big grocery stores to edge the mom-and-pop operations out of business," she said.
Koger said because her store only sells three products - beer, wine and liquor - she would not be able to compete with larger stores that can sell other items and are already staffed on Sundays.
Grocery stores, on the other hand, say consumer convenience is the bigger issue.
Matt Norris, spokesman for Hoosiers for Beverage Choice, said many people do their grocery shopping on Sundays and would like to buy alcohol at the same time they buy their groceries.
Norris said his organization was started by grocery and convenience stores to bring the consumer voice into the debate. Since August 2008, the organization has collected more than 35,000 signatures on petitions circulated online and at grocery store cash registers, among other places.
Alting said he will also consider the proposal's effect on drunken driving and minors' access to alcohol.
Koger said package liquor stores are best able to control the sale of alcohol.
However, the Indiana State Excise Police recently released the results of an enforcement study that showed 40 percent of liquor stores tested sold alcohol to minors, compared to 26 percent of grocery stores.
Koger said those numbers don't capture the full picture, because the only purpose for someone to be in a liquor store is to get alcohol. She said because there are many other products at a grocery store, the enforcement initiative can't capture all of the minors getting alcohol there.
A 2006 study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation examined alcohol-related crashes in New Mexico during the five-year periods before and after that state legalized Sunday sales. The study said the data strongly suggests that Sunday sales increase drunken driving-related fatalities.
Norris said the study was flawed and failed to account for an increase in New Mexico's maximum speed limit that occurred shortly after Sunday sales were permitted.
Representatives of both the Ball State University Police Department and Indiana State Excise Police said they were neutral on the issue and would enforce whatever laws the General Assembly enacts.
Alting said he also realizes that alcohol is legal and he said he plans to consider that when making his decision.
The 12-member committee will issue a report in November with recommendations on Sunday sales and other alcoholic beverage issues.
The committee meeting will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday in Room 404 of the Indiana State House. The committee will webcast the meeting at http://mediaserver.ihets.org/waysandmeans.
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