RALEIGH, N.C. — State lawmakers rolled out a lengthy rewrite of North Carolina’s alcohol laws Tuesday, potentially opening the door for Sunday liquor sales and happy hour drink specials — which are popular in other states, but prohibited here.
Plus: The bill includes a tax break for whiskey shot into outer space.
The bill was introduced in the House Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee — the first of many expected steps in its legislative journey.
Sponsors of the bill took nearly 45 minutes to go over the 36-page measure, longer than usual compared to most other proposed legislation and a sign of how detailed the bill is.
North Carolina has some of the strictest alcohol laws in the country. For instance, it’s one of just a handful of states that don't currently allow happy-hour drink specials; state lawmakers banned them in the 1980s, when the state was cracking down on drunk driving.
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