HARTFORD, Conn., Feb. 28 (UPI) -- About 600 people rallied outside the Connecticut Capitol Tuesday to support a bill that would end the state's ban on Sunday alcohol sales.
Gov. Dannel Malloy proposed the multi-faceted bill, which also supports an increase in the maximum number of liquor stores a person or company can own and allow supermarkets to obtain a liquor license, The Hartford Courant reported.
Liquor store owners and lobbyists said they'd drop their longtime opposition to Sunday alcohol sales if Malloy removed elements of the bill they say would hurt their business.
Lobbyist Carroll Hughes told the Courant if Malloy's bill passes as is, it would give large supermarkets an advantage over mom-and-pop stores by allowing them to cut prices below the current minimum guaranteed by law.
"What happened to the small pharmacies will happen to the small package stores -- only more rapidly," Hughes said. "The small hardware stores were the same way. … I'm saying we accept [Sunday sales], but you can't put the stores out of business. There's a real serious problem with the rest of the bill.''
Rep. Kathleen Tallarita, who owns a liquor store in Enfield, rallied in favor of Sunday sales, saying she sees customers cross the border into Massachusetts each Sunday to purchase alcohol.
