ATLANTA — A House amendment to let communities vote on the Sunday sale of alcohol at stores may be challenged by Gov. Sonny Perdue. And a “cohesive” Gwinnett County delegation will try to pry the amendment off another bill so they don’t both die.
The legislation was attached to a Senate bill that would allow Sunday beer sales at a minor league baseball stadium being built in Gwinnett County.
Sen. Renee Unterman, R-Buford, sponsor of the Senate legislation, on Thursday denounced the move by Rep. Roger Williams, R-Dalton, and chairman of the House Regulated Industries Committee, to add his statewide Sunday sales language.
She claims it threatens her bill and the deal Gwinnett County made with a minor league team.
The added language would permit voters of cities and counties that already allow sale of beer, wine and liquor to decide if retailers like grocery and package stores should sell alcohol on Sundays.
Sen. Unterman said, “(Gov. Perdue’s) office told me from the very beginning, it’s a stand-alone issue. I told the committee, ‘Why put two issues together when the governor would veto it?’”
Gov. Perdue on Thursday criticized the committee’s actions.
“I was hoping they were going to have a clean, stand-alone bill for the economic project up there,” he said.
Sen. Unterman said if House members wanted a Sunday sales bill, they should have passed Rep. Williams’ bill that he introduced in February 2007. “They have yet to have a hearing on it,” she said. “They could’ve brought it up last year.”
Rep. Williams said he didn’t intend for his Sunday sales bill to “sit there.” He said a similar bill had struggled in a Senate committee last year, and House leadership advised him to wait for the “opportune” moment.
“We kept waiting around for an opportunity to enhance the chance of passage of the bill,” he said. “Timing is what it boiled down to.”
He called pairing the two Sunday sales provisions an “issue of fairness.”
“Sunday sales is Sunday sales,” Rep. Williams said.
The House committee unanimously passed the amended measure, but it’s not guaranteed to pass the full House.
Rep. Williams said the move should not have surprised anyone.
He said he discussed the plan beforehand with Gov. Perdue’s office and with Sen. David Shafer, R-Duluth, who is chairman of the counterpart committee in the Senate.
Sen. Unterman said she hoped the Gwinnett County delegation in the House can help divide again the stadium statewide measure, but had no specific plans if the House passes the bill as it is now.
“I’ve been down here long enough to know it’s a three-ring circus,” she said.
