Early Booze 'Brunch Bill' Signed By Gov. Deal

ATLANTA, GA — Let the bloody marys and mimosas flow. After waiting until the last day, Gov. Nathan Deal has signed into law a bill that will let local residents choose to allow alcohol sales in their communities on Sunday mornings.

The so-called "Brunch Bill" was approved by the Georgia General Assembly during their 2018 session, which ended March 29. It went into effect immediately upon Deal's signature. Under Georgia law, the governor has 45 days from the end of the session to either sign or veto legislation.

Sponsored by state Sen. Renee Unterman, R-Buford, the bill permits city councils and county commissions to call for referendum votes on allowing alcohol sales beginning at 11 a.m. on Sundays. Under current law, bars and restaurants may not begin serving Sunday booze until 12:30 p.m.

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"It is an honor to sponsor a piece of legislation that places more decision-making authority in the hands of the people by allowing them to ultimately decide ...," Unterman said in a news release. "The goal of this legislation is to increase profits for small and large businesses throughout the state."

Restaurant owners had complained that Georgia's current alcohol law hurt their bottom line by outlawing liquor sales during peak brunch hours on Sundays.

In Georgia, all sale of alcohol on Sundays was illegal until 2011. That year, after the legislature approved it, every county in the state voted whether to allow Sunday sales. In all, 105 of Georgia's 159 counties voted to allow it.

Unterman's legislation doesn't open up Sunday-morning boozing for everybody, though. Only establishments that make at least 50 percent of their money from food will be allowed to start selling booze at 11 a.m.

The bill directs elections superintendents to issue a call for the referendums between 30-60 days of Tuesday, when it was signed. Some cities and counties in Georgia have gotten ahead of the game, already approving measures that called for elections if Deal signed the bill.

Read the full language of Senate Bill 17 here.

On a busy day for the governor and his bill-signing hand, Deal's office did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment for this story Tuesday morning.

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