Perdue signs several booze bills
[May.15.2008]
Capitol Impact
by Tom Crawford on 5/14/2008
Gov.
Sonny Perdue is a tee-totaling Baptist who is so strongly opposed to
the sale of beer and wine on Sundays in package stores and grocery
stores that he once compared the retail practice to prostitution.
The governor’s
distaste for alcohol sales, evidently, goes only so far – Perdue signed
bills this week that will allow booze to be sold in Gwinnett County’s
new baseball stadium, in limousines, and over the internet.
HB 1280
was originally introduced to regulate the licensing of alcohol sales in
regional economic assistance projects. It was amended in the Senate so
that Gwinnett can apply for a state license to sell alcohol at the
stadium being built for an Atlanta Braves minor league baseball team.
HB 1061
will allow consumers to order up to 12 cases of wine directly from a
winery via the internet without having to deal with the state’s system
of wholesalers and retailers.
The bill was introduced to assist sales by the state’s wine vineyards, which are primarily located in North Georgia.
SB 385
will allow licensed limousine carriers, which are often leased by high
school students to provide transportation to the senior prom, to sell
alcoholic drinks to passengers.
Other alcohol-related bills signed by Perdue include HB 1066, which will prohibit bars and taverns from selling any alcoholic beverage that is produced by an alcohol vaporizing device.
The governor also inked HB 336,
which increases the penalties for drunk driving convictions. A person
who’s convicted for the fourth time on a DUI charge within a 10-year
period will now go to prison for at least a year and as long as five
years and be subject to a fine between $1,000 and $5,000.
|
