Earlier Sunday sales hours part of wide-ranging liquor bill that clears House

The House on Thursday approved the omnibus liquor bill, which includes altering Sunday off-sale hours and a number of special licenses from Minneapolis to Hubbard County.

After passing a law last year allowing liquor stores to sell alcohol on Sundays, HF3972 would stretch Sunday opening times for liquor stores to 10 a.m., an hour earlier than current law allows, and allowing them to stay open until 8 p.m. on Sunday-falling Christmas Eves and New Year’s Eves.

The House passed the bill on a 114-7 vote, sending it to the Senate, where Sen. Gary Dahms (R-Redwood Falls) is the sponsor. Dahms’ version doesn’t include the Sunday sales provision.

Sponsored by Rep. Jim Nash (R-Waconia), the bill also includes measures that would:

• allow tastings at stores where customers make their own beer or wine;
• authorize a liquor license for Red River Event Center & Liquor Co.;
• allow North Mankato to issue a liquor license to the Caswell Regional Sporting Complex;
• allow Minneapolis to issue liquor licenses to Daniel del Prado’s forthcoming Colita restaurant; opening at 5400 Penn Ave. S.; to a restaurant at 4959 Penn Ave. S.; and to Nighthawks at 3753 Nicollet Ave. S.; and
• allow Edina to issue a liquor license to Restoration Hardware, a high-end furniture store that serves food and drinks, at 6801 France Ave. S.

The following are selected bills that have been incorporated in part, or in whole, into the omnibus liquor bill:

• HF2871 (Grossell)
• HF3072 (Johnson, C.)
• HF3124 (Thissen)
• HF3345 (Thissen)
• HF3868 (Fenton)
• HF3969 (Anselmo)
• HF4001 (Allen)