Today, the Sunday alcohol sales bill begins what is expected to be a relatively smooth and brisk ride through the Georgia House.
That's in sharp contrast to the tortuous, five-year path it took through the Senate.
Senate Bill 10, which was approved by the Senate last week, is expected to pass through two House committees this week, starting with Regulated Industries.
Gov. Nathan Deal has already indicated he would sign legislation allowing local voters to decide on store sales of beer, wine and liquor on Sunday. Some communities could see the issue on the ballot this fall.
Rep. Roger Williams, R-Dalton, chairman of the Regulated Industries committee and a longtime sponsor of Sunday sales legislation, had started to think another year might pass without a vote on the issue.
Williams, like a lot of lawmakers, thought the bill had died in the state Senate weeks ago.
Grocery and convenience stores, alcoholic beverage distributors and others have pushed for the Sunday sales legislation for the past five sessions. Some years, the bill stalled in a Senate committee. In 2007, it passed a committee, but Senate leaders wouldn't put it to the full chamber for a vote.
With then-Gov. Sonny Perdue promising a veto if it reached his desk, many lawmakers saw no point in voting on a bill that would anger at least a portion of their political base. That was particularly true of many Republicans, who risked angering religious conservatives. Liquor store owners, too, largely opposed the bill, and many of them have deep pockets for campaign contributions.
Perdue left office in January, and Deal's willingness to allow local votes on Sunday sales reinvigorated supporters. A measure breezed through a Senate committee and appeared headed for a quick Senate vote.
But some top Senate Republicans worked behind the scenes to scuttle it.
The measure's sponsor, Sen. John Bulloch, R-Ochlocknee, said Republican caucus members earlier this session were asked to declare their position on the bill. The caucus vote was split between opponents, supporters and senators who weren't sure. A majority of the Republican senators did not say they opposed it, according to some senators. But because a majority did not express support, Republican leaders chose not to bring it to the floor for a vote.
With some business interests and voters pushing for the bill, and many preachers and other voters opposing it, a number of Republican senators simply did not want to publicly take a stand.
But over the past several weeks, through a combination of lobbying and public encouragement, a number of senators previously on the fence became more willing to vote on the issue.
Meanwhile, in the weeks after the measure’s apparent demise, lobbyists for beer and liquor companies and convenience and grocery stores appeared to change tactics.
Powerful lobbying teams, including Troutman Sanders, GeorgiaLink and Piedmont Public Affairs, began working on members of the House, where another version of the bill had been introduced.
That took some of the attention off the Senate. But all along, supporters kept talking to senators. They spent more than $1,000 on meals for senators in the two weeks leading up to the ultimate vote.
Groups lobbying for the bill also had local business leaders contact their senators. Organizers of a Facebook group, Georgians for Sunday Alcohol Sales, mobilized residents to contact their lawmakers.
"I think they were feeling the pressure," Williams said.
Two related votes also helped their cause.
The Senate passed a bill allowing Sunday liquor-by-the-drink sales on publicly owned golf courses, and a committee approved a bill that made legal distilling of liquor easier. There was no public backlash from the votes.
During meetings of the caucus and the agenda-setting Senate Rules Committee, Bulloch continued to talk about the Sunday sales bill and felt the tide turning in his favors as the "undecideds" had their questions answered.
He finally wrote the Republican leadership asking for another count of the caucus. He asked that the question be: "Would you support bringing SB 10 to the floor for a vote?"
When the bill came up in the full Senate, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle made a key ruling, killing an amendment that would have further stalled the bill. After about three hours of debate, SB 10 passed 32-22.
No such dramatics are expected in the House, which could vote on the issue Monday. Williams said he won't "entertain" any attempts to amend the Senate bill. If it were changed in any way by the House, it would have to go back to the Senate for another vote.
"We don't want to open up that can of worms again," Williams said.
Williams said supporters have done an informal count and found at least 120 of 180 House members are "firm" votes for the bill.
"It looks like we have a comfortable majority, but of course we are not taking anything for granted," he said. "Certainly we are not going to let our guard down. We are going to work real hard to make sure it goes [through]."
H. Ray Newman of the Georgia Baptist Convention said opponents will keep working to stop the bill. They will be calling and e-mailing lawmakers, letting them know that they oppose stores selling alcohol on Sundays.
At this point, they know the odds aren't in their favor.
"That doesn't mean we won't be still working and at least being part of the conversation when it comes down to the final vote," he said.
Staff writer Christopher Quinn contributed to this article.
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