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Sunday alcohol sales proposal passes House
Bill to correct quirk in the S.C. law
By Zane Wilson
The Sun News
COLUMBIA - The state House passed a bill Wednesday that will allow continued off-premise beer and wine sales in Georgetown County.
The bill was given second reading on an unrecorded voice vote with little discussion. It will receive routine third reading today and then be sent to the Senate.
Rep. Converse Chellis, R-Summerville, sponsored the bill because his town is one of six locations affected by a quirk in the law that ended their ability to have Sunday beer and wine sales in stores.
Rep. Vida Miller, D-Pawleys Island, was a co-sponsor. She said some stores in Georgetown County have already appealed the expiration of their Sunday sales licenses and are continuing to operate. They have 90 days to appeal.
"I hope this bill goes quickly through the Senate" and becomes law before those 90 days are up, Miller said.
Chellis said he has talked to senators who promised to help get the bill passed.
Chellis said there was a rumor Thursday morning that someone would try to amend the bill to forbid Sunday sales in convenience stores, but that did not happen, nor did any opposition arise.
Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Columbia, a co-sponsor of the bill and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, explained the measure and described it as a correction to the law that would save the affected locations the cost of a new refer endum.
Chellis said Harrison's explanation helped move the bill along.
Georgetown County and Summerville were among locations that voted for Sunday drink sales in restaurants. Three years ago, the state Department of Revenue interpreted the votes as applying to store sales of beer and wine as well.
Greenville complained, saying it did not intend to allow store sales, so the revenue department reversed its ruling last year in some locations depending on the wording of their referendum.
Those locations could correct the ruling by holding another referendum, but the bill allows sales to continue without one.
Horry County was not affected because the department ruled that the wording of its Sunday alcohol election covered store sales.
Rep. Converse Chellis, R-Summerville, sponsored the bill because his town is one of six locations affected by a quirk in the law that ended their ability to have Sunday beer and wine sales in stores.
Contact ZANE WILSON at 357-9188 or zwilson@thesunnews.com.
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