Texas lawmaker files bills to lift ban on selling liquor on Sundays

March 11 (UPI) -- Texas may soon lift its longtime ban on selling liquor on Sundays after a lawmaker filed a bill to end the prohibition.

State Sen.Kelly Hancock recently filed a bill that would amend the state law to add a definition for "spirit coolers" in a bid to allow ready-made cocktails to be sold at grocery stores and convenience stores throughout the week, including Sundays.

Texas first restricted Sunday liquor sales in 1935 in response to the repeal of federal prohibition.

In 1961, Texas passed further "blue laws" restricting the sale of certain products like cars and washing machines, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported last year. The regulations, known as "blue laws," were repealed in 1985 -- except for alcohol.

The prohibition on alcohol sale on Sundays included beer and wine for decades, until Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law in 2021 that allowed for beer and wine to be sold.

However, such ready-made cocktails remained classified as liquor and continue to only be sold in liquor stores that close on Sundays.

"As industries innovate and new products become staples in the marketplace, it only makes sense for us to take a look at ways government can reduce regulatory red tape," Hancock, who represents Fort Worth, said in a statement from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

"I look forward to continuing to work on legislation that keeps free market principles at the core of Texas' economic success."

However, some critics argue that the bill would conflict with another law which mandates that only workers above the age of 21 sell hard liquor.

"There is no great consumer demand to make this drastic change to Texas liquor law," Tom Spilman, president of the Wholesale Beer Distributors of Texas trade organization, said in a statement to The Dallas Morning News.