Font ResizeSANTA FE - Dry cities and counties in New Mexico could evaporate if one legislator has his way.
Republican Sen. Steven Neville is sponsoring a bill that would legalize liquor sales statewide on Sundays. His proposal gets its first committee hearing this morning.
Neville said the state is a hodgepodge when it comes to by-the-drink liquor sales on Sundays. Some places allow it. Others a few miles away prohibit it.
He said his hometown of Aztec is dry on Sundays, putting businesses there at a competitive disadvantage as they try to survive on six days of income when nearby restaurants, clubs and golf courses get seven.
His bill also would give city councils and county commissions the option of disallowing Sunday alcohol sales.
"I'm not trying to force this on anybody," Neville said in an interview.
He said legalizing liquor sales locally is so cumbersome that it is nearly impossible. Making the change statewide would simplify matters for communities, he said.
Clearing the way for businesses to compete for Sunday customers is just one aspect of his bill. Neville said safety is the other.
An unfortunate truth, he said, is that people in dry areas will drive a good distance to enjoy wine at dinner or beer after a game of golf. Those who drink too much then get on the road for the trip home.
He said highways would be safer if people did not have to go out of their way to buy a drink.
Neville's proposal is SB 28.
Santa Fe Bureau Chief Milan Simonich can be reached
