HARRISBURG — House and Senate leaders are negotiating a
plan with the governor's office that eventually could phase out state-owned
liquor stores and expand private sales of wine, beer and liquor, a key
proponent said on Tuesday.
“It's definitely moving in a positive direction. I feel
like a consensus product can be reached,” said House Majority Leader Mike
Turzai, R-Marshall, though he noted it's a “work in progress.”
Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley is spearheading discussions, Turzai
said. Cawley could not be reached.
Privatizing Pennsylvania's liquor sales has been a
priority for Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, who faces re-election in November.
Turzai's acknowledgement was the first public comment
by GOP House leaders on a revived effort to privatize liquor sales. Senate
Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware County, last week said he's hopeful
lawmakers can send a bill to Corbett's desk early this year.
No one is disclosing details of what lawmakers are
negotiating. They likely will devise a formula for determining when some of the
600-plus state stores would need to close.
The state store system was established in 1933, shortly
before the end of Prohibition. Then-Gov. Gifford Pinchot wanted to “discourage
the purchase of alcoholic beverages by making it as inconvenient and expensive
as possible.”
Pennsylvania and Utah are the only states controlling
wholesale and retail sales of liquor and wine.
Turzai considers it an antiquated system and said
proponents of privatizing sales want to make buying wine and beer more
convenient.
Labor unions representing state store clerks oppose
privatization.
Wendell W. Young IV, president of the United Food and
Commercial Workers Local 1776, expressed skepticism that the legislature is on
the verge of passing a liquor bill.
“I hate to sound like a broken record, but there's
nothing new here,” said Young, whose union represents liquor clerks. If
legislative leaders had the votes they would say nothing until they're ready to
vote, he said.
Selling liquor licenses, Turzai said, would bring in
money for the 2014-15 budget, which has a projected deficit of $800 million to
$1.4 billion.
Senate Democrats on Tuesday said they want to make sure
they're included in talks about liquor privatization, the budget and potential
changes to the Pennsylvania Lottery.
Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, said
if lawmakers decide to expand gambling with fast-paced games such as keno, he
doesn't want the extra revenue to go toward lottery privatization. It should
continue to fund senior programs, such as low-cost prescription drugs and
rebates on property tax and rent, he said.
Despite Corbett's decision last month to not renew a
contract with a British firm, lottery privatization is an issue the governor
and GOP legislative leaders likely will push in 2014, Costa said. Keno is one
option under consideration to raise more money.
The budget deficit and a re-election year for Corbett,
whose public approval numbers are low, have created “desperation” among
Republicans in the legislature, said Sen. Vincent Hughes of Philadelphia.
Hughes, ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations
Committee, said he wants to make sure legislation doesn't get slammed through
to meet political agendas.
Senate Democrats would “be OK (with the agenda) if it
included a tax increase,” said Mike Barley, Corbett's campaign manager.
“Legislators and the administration will be looking at different ways to fix
the budget (gap). All I hear from them is ‘raise taxes,' not ‘cut spending.' ”
Source: triblive.com
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