Senator Kissel Opposes Proposal To Permit Sunday Liquor Sales

Senator John A. Kissel, R-Enfield, today voiced his continued opposition to legalizing Sunday liquor sales.

“If it becomes legal to sell liquor on Sundays, the big losers would be the “Mom & Pop” store owners who would feel obligated to open, even though that would mean working seven days a week, or spending any Sunday profits to hire new employees. And, especially in the border communities, these small businesses would have to open in order to remain competitive with grocery stores that sell beer and are already open on Sundays,” said Senator Kissel, a ranking member of the legislature’s Judiciary Committee.

Senator Kissel is reacting to media reports that Senator Bill Finch, D-Bridgeport, is planning to propose legislation next year to allow package stores to open on Sundays in order to remain competitive with New York and Massachusetts which recently repealed, or relaxed, their bans on Sunday liquor sales.

“I am disappointed to see this idea back on the table again, especially when proposals to legalize Sunday liquor sales have failed repeatedly to attract enough legislative support to pass. Allowing liquor sales on Sundays was a bad idea when it was proposed in the past, and it is a bad idea now,” said Senator Kissel.

Senator Kissel said that it is in the state’s best interest to encourage the creation and retention of small businesses, such as “Mom & Pop” liquor stores. He said that creating an economic climate that would force these small businesses to operate seven days a week could have the opposite effect.

“I worry about the financial pressure that would be put on these small package store owners by, essentially, forcing them to stay open seven days a week. Also, I think most people would agree that forcing small family businesses to operate seven days a week is not the right thing to do,” said Senator Kissel.