Marietta residents will get to vote on Sunday ‘brunch bill’

Spurred by the “Brunch Bill” passing the Georgia Legislature, the Marietta City Council decided Thursday to let voters decide if they want earlier Sunday alcohol sales.

Spurred by the “Brunch Bill” passing the Georgia Legislature, the Marietta City Council decided Thursday to let voters decide if they want earlier Sunday alcohol sales.

Imagine, if you will: It’s 11 a.m. the Sunday before Thanksgiving. You’re at brunch with friends. Y’all are swapping horror stories ahead of your familial feasts. The conversation makes you want to drink. And, for the first time, you can.

This could now be the reality because the Marietta City Council voted Thursday night to put it on the Nov. 6 ballot, said city spokeswoman Lindsey Wiles. The council OKed it 6 to 1, with Councilman Reggie Copeland dissenting.

If a majority of voters approve, Nov. 18 — the Sunday before Thanksgiving — is the first day you can get boozy earlier.

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This is happening now because of Senate Bill 17, which lets restaurants and wineries sell alcohol starting at 11 a.m. on Sundays instead of 12:30 p.m.

Gov. Nathan Deal signed the "brunch bill" into law on May 8, giving municipalities the final say of whether or not they want to put it on their ballots.

The “brunch bill” is a regular under the Gold Dome.

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Other versions have made it through the House in past years but died in the Senate.

Alcohol stores were only allowed to start selling booze on Sundays during Gov. Deal's first year in office "after five years of heated lobbying that pitted grocery and convenience stores against preachers," as reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2011.

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