Georgia Sunday Sales bill dies - UPDATED
Lawmakers to taxpayers: Maybe next year.
The AJC’s James Salzer reports state Sen. Seth Harp, R-Midland, has withdrawn the bill that would allow cities and counties to decide if they wanted stores to be able to sell booze on the Sabbath. He says it didn’t have enough votes to pass:
The committee was supposed to vote on the bill Wednesday, but supporters knew by the time the meeting began that they wouldn’t have enough votes to pass it.
It marked the third consecutive year the bill to allow Sunday sales has stalled in the Senate.
Sen. Seth Harp (R-Midland), said he would bring the bill back up in the future and supporters hinted they would make it a campaign issue next year.
Welcome to Georgia, where nothing ever happens.
(Update by Scott Henry):
There’s a rumor floating around that Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, R-Gainesville, was involved in getting the bill killed. Harp isn’t buying it. He says Cagle “told me personally” that he favored the bill getting a floor vote. And if SB 16 had reached the floor, Harp is confident it would’ve passed.
Who was the real villain, then?