For 160 years, Minnesotans who love a sudsy pint of beer or bubbly mimosa while watching Sunday football had to make sure their liquor cabinet was stocked ahead of time. “Blue laws” in twelve states prohibit the sale of liquor on Sundays: Alabama, Indiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
But Minnesota is about to step off that list. Minnesota state representatives have voted in favor of a bill that would put a stop to the ban on Sunday liquor sales, according to the Pioneer Press. The 85-45 vote, supported by both Democrats and Republicans alike, still needs to pass the Senate, but if it does indeed go through, liquor stores would be permitted to keep their doors open for an eight hour stretch (10AM – 6PM) every Sunday starting this summer.
“We have heard very clearly and very loudly from Minnesotans they want this, what they view as an antiquated law changed, and we are excited to do it today,” said House speaker Kurt Daudt. Daudt thoroughly believes the bill will pass the Senate as well, due to the “strong support in the House.”
The ban on Sunday liquor sales has been around since 1858, the same year that Minnesota officially became a state.
