ATLANTA — A bill that would allow restaurants to serve alcohol on Sunday mornings cleared the Georgia legislature Monday and heads to the desk of Governor Nathan Deal.
The "brunch bill" had a spirited debate before passing the House.
If you’re eating brunch on a Sunday morning, state law currently prevents commercial restaurants from serving alcohol – a practice long affirmed in the state Capitol by the House “Temperance Committee.”
"Back in 1939, my grandfather was the chairman of the Temperance Committee," recalled state Rep. Tom McCall (R-Elberton).
The brunch bill debate, at times, evoked the sensibilities of that now disbanded committee.
"Eleven o'clock is a little early," said state Rep. Al Williams (D-Midway). "You should just be getting over Saturday night, not starting on Sunday morning."
The brunch bill would replace the current 12:30 p.m. start of Sunday alcohol sales with an 11 a.m. start. It would require a voter referendum in cities and counties wishing to allow brunch-goers to imbibe earlier – a nod to what lawmakers nowadays call “local control,” dismissed biblically by one vocal opponent.
"Local control is important. But Adam and Eve had local control in the Garden of Eden, and bit that fruit, and it was the fall of humanity and we keep taking a bit out of that apple," said state Rep. Dominic LaRiccia (R-Douglas) during debate, to a mixed vocal reaction from his fellow House members.
That started a brief rhetorical stampede into scripture based debate.
"Is it not true that one of the first miracles was Jesus turning water into wine?" asked state Rep. Erica Thomas (D-Austell).
"Is it not true that Jesus didn’t turn water into wine on Sunday morning?" LaRiccia shot back
"Did Jesus sell that wine? Or did he give it away?" asked Rep. Sharon Beasley-Teague (D-Red Oak)
"This could go on all day," mused House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge), as he sought to wrap the debate.
The brunch bill passed the House 97-64 – culminating years of effort by the restaurant industry.
"It’s kind of interesting that it took four years of work to get allowance for one and a half hours" of added alcohol sales on Sundays, said Karen Bremer of the Georgia Restaurant Association after the vote.
