Affected cities can choose for themselves again

State lawmakers acted quickly last week to amend a 2009 law that permitted municipalities with populations ranging from 1,000 to 7,000 to hold elections on the question of whether or not to legalize the sale of alcoholic beverages.

State Rep. Ed Henry, R-Hartselle, said the State Legislature passed HB 72 and 73 on March 10 in response to a State Supreme Court ruling that made the 2009 law unconstitutional.

Subsequently, Gov. Robert Bentley signed the bill into law.

The town of Priceville was one of several Alabama towns that were left in limbo after the court ruling. It used the 2009 law to give its voters the option of approving alcohol sales in November 2012.

“The court ruling threw the law back into our laps,” Henry said. “We had a number of municipalities that had legalized the sale of alcoholic beverages and issued licenses for their sale, and businesses had invested and were holding thousands of dollars in inventory. It was urgent that we give the issue a high priority and amend the law.”

“I’m glad they amended the law to validate our election,” said Priceville Mayor Melvin Duran. “It was the people’s choice to legalize alcohol sales. The Legislature confirmed what the people wanted.”