Texas considering allowing alcohol sales on Sunday

Odessa tax professional Marcie Macias, 37, hopes the bill doesn't pass.

"I think they should just leave it the way it is," Macias said. "Unfortunately, we can't all be responsible and we don't know how to not drink and drive. A lot of people don't know how to use their freedom. They overuse it or they just simply don't know how to use it."

Odessa resident Carol Ward, 66, agreed with Macias.

"It seems like we get more and more lenient on our liquor sales," Ward, a local business owner, said. "I'd just as soon they only sell it at the limited time they can now."

Odessa resident Geno Montes, 38, said he thinks people should have the option to purchase liquor on Sundays even though he wouldn't necessarily participate.

"I play golf on Sundays and I know you can't drink until after 12 p.m.," Montes said. "I guess it doesn't really matter for me because I'm not a big drinker, but if it was friends they probably would like it."

Although Montes said he probably won't drink on Sundays, he thinks it's every American's right to make that choice for themselves.

"Anybody should be able to buy anything at any time if they so choose to," Montes said. "If they want to drink Sunday, that's fine. It's their business."

Bartender and Odessa College business sophomore Erica Norris, 19, said she didn't know people couldn't purchase liquor on Sundays and doesn't think it's a bad idea to be able to purchase it.

"They drink every other night, so it's not really any different," Norris said. "I'm pretty sure they drink on Sundays anyway because they probably buy extra on other days and drink it on Sundays."

John Hatch is a consultant for Texas Petition Strategies, a company based in Austin that specializes in local option alcohol campaigns in Texas. Hatch has helped put forth more than 230 petitions relating to this bill in Texas in the last 10 years and said he has won about 80 percent of the time.

Hatch said now that the bill has been filed it will go through the legislative process, first to the House, then if passed, the Senate. They will know if it passes by May and if passed, it will go to the governor.

"West Texas hasn't had nearly as many elections as other parts of Texas," Hatch said. "I think Sunday sales make sense. If we allow beer and wine sales, I don't understand why liquor stores shouldn't be allowed to do the same thing and to not open until Sunday afternoon. That sounds perfectly good to me. The bottom line is people should have a choice on where to purchase their alcohol before they go home to watch their Sunday football."

"We would be joining 38 states that already have allowed distilled spirits to be sold on Sundays," Thompson said. "They're already selling beer and wine. What's wrong with selling distilled spirits? Why discriminate against people to have that choice?"

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