Massachusetts lawmakers may once again try to legalize Sunday liquor sales starting Wednesday, as they begin looking at a number of ways to stimulate the state economy.
A joint committee will work to synthesize the state House and Senate’s respective economic stimulus packages into one proposal in time for the end of the legislative year.
The House’s bill, passed in July, focuses mainly on encouraging emerging technology. The Senate’s package, passed last week, is more comprehensive, including the provision to allow liquor sales on Sunday and others to legalize stem-cell research in the state, create two tax-free shopping days and provide funds for housing initiatives, job-training programs and the tourism industry.
The committee comprised of Sens. Steven Panagiotakos (D-Lowell), Linda Melconian (D-Springfield) and Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester), and Reps. Peter Larkin (D-Berkshire), Brian Dempsey (D-Haverhill) and John Lepper (R-Attleboro) has until Nov. 19 to combine the packages into one bill.
If the committee finishes the bill in time, each house would then vote on the complete bill. If the committee does not finish, it would continue its work when the second half of the legislature’s two-year term starts in January.
Chris Calabrise, an aide in Melconian’s office, said he thought it is possible the bill may not be finished in time for a vote this year.
‘People may be in a hurry,’ he said. ‘That doesn’t mean we won’t work out a comprehensive bill.’
Calabrise was not sure what particular issues might cause a hold-up for the committee, but he said he expects the representatives to focus on the emerging technologies highlighted in their stimulus package.
Kerry Malloy, chief of staff for Sen. Steven Tolman (D-Boston), said it is very possible that the committee could work out a bill by next Wednesday.
‘I think the House is very amenable to some of the changes,’ she said. ‘I don’t think they’re as far apart as the legislation suggests.’
Malloy said the Senate’s package may be more comprehensive because it was passed later, so the Senate had a clearer picture of the state’s budget for next year.
The Sunday liquor sale provision may prove to be the most contentious. The House voted last month not to extend Sunday liquor sale laws, though representatives were scheduled to reconsider the bill this week.
The stem-cell provision has been suggested in the past, but has never come to a vote in either house. Stem-cell research is not illegal in Massachusetts, but it is not explicitly legal. The measure is an attempt to draw more biotechnology jobs to Massachusetts.
Absent from either budget proposal is legalized casino gambling, an option tossed around during the gubernatorial election last year and early in Gov. Mitt Romney’s term. The legislature has considered allowing gambling in the state, but Malloy said supporters ‘couldn’t get the votes’ to add the measure to the package.
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