Mike Turzai is looking like a guy who will not take no for an answer.
Last year Allegheny Republican was the driving force behind something that had never happened before in Harrisburg. Turzai pushed a measure through the Pa. House that called for privatization of the sale of alcohol in the state.
That's right, it's been talked about forever. But neither the Pa. House or Senate had ever done it. Until last fall.
Unfortunately, the bill stalled in the Senate, in part a victim to wheeling and dealing surrounding a $2 billion Transportation package.
Now Turzai is Speaker of the House. And it's clear he has no intention of giving up on this push to get Pensylvania out of the booze business.
The House Liquor Control Committee today is expected to discuss and vote on Turzai's House Bill 466, his latest push to blow up the LCB. Here is an overview.
In the meantime, a couple of Delaware County pols are pushing a separate measure that will dump one of the most hated aspects of Pennsylvania laws on alcohol sales.
Currently it is illegal for Pa. residents to purchase booze out of state and bring it back across the border, despite the fact that this is a longtime tradition in many border areas.
Nowhere does that happen more than on the Delco border with Delaware. Just a stone's throw from the lower end of the county sits several liquor and wine superstores, such as Total Wine, in Claymont, Del., that feature better selection and usually cheaper prices.
Any quick perusal of the license plates in the store parking lot reveals tons of Pa. plates.
In the past, the LCB actually used to go so far as to dispatch agents to stop cars coming back into Pa. The fines for this modern-day version of border booze runners can be steep.
Now Rep. Joe Hackett, R-161, of Ridley Park, and Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester, are pushing to take away the fines connected with such border runs.
Our position on privatization is pretty clear. The Heron's Nest is one of its biggest boosters. I don't know if Turzai is going to be successful, but I wish him luck.
At a minimum, the move to end the penalties for transporting booze across state lines should be a no-brainer.
We'll keep you updated on the privatization battle today from the state capital.
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