COLUMBIA - In a historic break with the past, the S.C. House voted Tuesday to repeal the state's remaining Sunday sales bans, called "blue laws."

The bill now goes to the Senate, where observers say there is a fair chance it will pass before lawmakers adjourn June 2. It would then go to Gov. Mark Sanford for his signature, and could take effect later this year.

S.C. Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman Julie Horton said the group's legislative lobbyists "were pretty pumped up that it made it through the House today."

Tuesday's 56-44 vote marked the farthest that efforts to repeal the blue laws have gotten through the S.C. legislature. The laws date from 1885 and prohibit "any worldly labor, business or work" on Sundays.

The bill does not repeal the ban on alcohol sales, but it does include protection for people who have moral objections to working on Sunday. They can't be punished for refusing to do so.

The last 20 years have seen the blue laws largely eroded.

Sunday sales of all goods after 1:30 p.m. have been legal since 1985. And in eight counties -- Beaufort, Charleston, Georgetown, Horry, Richland, Spartanburg, Greenville and Pickens -- there are no blue laws at all, thanks to exemptions passed by lawmakers 10 years ago.

That has created situations such as the one in the Columbiana Centre mall, which straddles the Richland-Lexington county line. Stores in Richland open whenever they want on Sundays; in Lexington, they can't open until 1:30.

Other exceptions have crept into the law. For instance, you can buy a bikini or underwear on Sunday morning, but not a pair of shorts.

On the N.C. border in York County, said Rep. Herb Kirsh, D-Clover, "We've got Mecklenburg across the way where they stay open all the time, practically."

Tuesday, he added his name to the repeal bill as a co-sponsor.

"Years ago, I wouldn't have supported anything like that," he said. "But I think the time has come. Things have changed in this state. We're not quite as rural as we used to be, especially in York County."

With six weeks remaining in the legislative session, Sen. Wes Hayes, R-Rock Hill, rates the odds of Senate passage this year as "probably 50-50, if I had to give you a calculation."

On the plus side, he said, "There's really not a lot of important bills competing with it for time; we've already cleared out a lot of the key bills."

On the other hand, the bill must go through the committee process, including a public hearing. And Hayes said he expects opposition.

"I think the key objection you'd run into is if (senators) feel that a majority of the people in this state want one day of the week to be different from other days," he said.

Hayes said he hasn't decided how he will vote.

"I'm going to listen to the debate," he said.