EDITORIAL: Bill to lift restrictions on Sunday alcohol sales would be smart business move
State legislature approved a revised bill Wednesday to allow alcohol sales before noon on Sundays, which will be a boost to businesses.
The Lansing State Journal reported Gov. Jennifer Granholm has said she plans to sign the bill into law after previously vetoing it. Sections in the bill allowing restaurants that offered catering to bring licensed alcohol off-premises and allowing community colleges liquor licenses for culinary arts programs were removed after the veto.
In addition to allowing alcohol sales to go from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week, the bill will allow alcohol sales on Christmas Day beginning at 12 p.m., restaurants and retailers to offer free samples and wineries to charge for samples.
The main thrust of this is business will improve for all alcohol retailers.
Sunday morning may not exactly be rush-hour for alcohol sales, but that is nonetheless 20 more hours of potential alcohol sales a month. Retailers should have little problem making up the $160-a-year fee linked to this bill and still make a greater profit.
The laws prohibiting alcohol sales on Christmas and before noon on Sundays were the last holdovers from antiquated liquor laws, which are no longer relevant in modern times.
Postponing alcohol sales to noon on Sundays was a residual of laws formerly prohibiting its sale on Sundays, because of the day’s significance to Christianity. Getting rid of the law altogether is a victory for the separation of church and state, albeit a small one.
The changes made to appease Granholm are reasonable. A restaurant is licensed to serve alcohol on its premises and should not be transferable. It could become a public safety issue.
Even if on a limited, provisional basis, giving liquor licenses to colleges is questionable at best. Although alcohol is often used in cooking, the matter of allowing alcohol on college campuses is not something that should be compromised.
In the economic situation our state has been in for the last several years, bolstering sales for businesses can do nothing but help, even if only a little bit. Especially since most liquor stores are locally-owned small businesses, this is helping some of the people that need it the most.
