For all the huffing and puffing coming out of Harrisburg for the past year and half, there are still no signs of the house being blown down on the state of Pennsylvania’s liquor stores. It’s been almost a year since House Majority Leader Mike Turzai dropped his plan to privatize liquor sales, and for all intents and purposes no progress whatsoever has been made in fulfilling it. And now the State Senate’s top ranking Republican is banging the gong again for a proper modernization plan to be put in place, according to CBS Philly. You’ll recall that last year State Senator Joe Scarnati called the Turzai plan half-baked and compared it to a fire sale, because it would ultimately unload the state store system for much less than what it could be worth.
Back then, he suggested righting the boozy boat, steering it so it meets the needs of drinkers, and ultimately boosting its value before selling it off. He’s now renewing his call for a modernization plan, which sort of infers that he and other members of the State Senate have strong doubts about a the success of Turzai’s privatization efforts. Scarnati fears that if a plan to modernize the state stores doesn’t reach Corbett’s desk this year, the entire state will be back to square one if and when the Turzai plan fails to fly. The bottom line is, don’t expect cheap booze in the Keystone State any time soon.
State Senate Leader: If Pa. Liquor Stores Aren’t Privatized, They Should Be Modernized [CBS Philly]
Related: The State’s Top GOP Senator Puts the Kibosh on Liquor Store Privatization
