ANDERSON — Hoosier lawmakers are considering repeal of rules enacted generations ago that ban the retail sale of alcohol on Sundays.
Shoppers in Anderson on Sunday still have mixed opinions on the matter, reflecting a nearly split populace statewide. People coming in and out of a local grocery store — one that would be affected if the law were changed — were almost half and half on where they fell on the issue.
“I’m OK with the law the way it is,” said Josh Buston. “It would just be one more day that people can go and get drunk and drive. It’s a safety thing.
“And if you really want to drink, you can still go to the bars.”
Indiana is one of the last states with a blue law — rule that restricts Sunday business activities — prohibiting sales of alcohol. There are exceptions. In 2010, the state amended the laws to allow permitted microbreweries limited carryout sales. Additionally, bars, taverns and restaurants have no restrictions on alcohol sales on Sunday. The ban applies mostly to retail, grocery and liquor stores statewide.
The ban could soon change.
State Rep. Tom Dermody of LaPorte authored House Bill 1624, which would reverse the law and allow Sunday alcohol sales between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Dermody is the chairman of the Indiana House Public Policy Committee, which sets alcohol policy. The bill would need to pass through Dermody’s committee before it could be heard by the entire House. If passed through committee and House, the bill would also need to pass through the Senate and be signed into law by the governor.
“I’m hearing from Hoosiers,” said Dermody in an interview with Herald Bulletin news-gathering partner WISH-TV. “Is it time to bring us up in comparison with other states?”
WISH-TV also conducted a survey in 2014 that found more than 52 percent of respondents were in favor of expanding the law to allow alcohol sales on Sundays.
Brent Bridgman said that in the social and legal climate of today, prohibiting the sale of alcohol on a particular day seems arbitrary and outdated.
“We’re generations away from the people who made that law. It’s a different world,” Bridgman said.
While most states had similar laws dating back to Prohibition, many have repealed them. Past efforts to legalize Sunday carryout sales have been met with resistance from the state’s liquor store lobby, which has insisted that being open on Sunday would increase operating costs of liquor stores while providing little increase in revenue.
Grocery chains, which would remain open regardless of the law, have supported a change in the law, as have business and consumer groups.
Kelly Lander, who just recently moved to Indiana from Washington, said she wasn’t even aware of the Sunday ban, and said it seems a little ridiculous, especially considering bars are still allowed to serve alcohol.
“Why not just let everyone?” she asked.
But others gave the exact same reason for keeping laws the way they are.
“You can go to a bar if you want to drink,” said Natalie Williams. “I’m generally opposed to drinking, so I’m OK with the law.”