Maryland residents would soon be able to buy beer and liquor at their local grocery store if state delegate Marlon Amprey has his way — but they will pay a bit extra for the convenience.
Amprey, a Baltimore City Democrat, introduced an amendment Monday to a controversial bill to allow liquor sales in grocery stores. The change offered in the House of Delegates would add a 5% surcharge on beer and wine sold in groceries and other places outside of traditional brick-and-mortar liquor stores.
If passed, a bottle of wine that would retail for $10 in a liquor store, for example, would cost $10.50 in a store that also sold lettuce and lamb chops.
The additional revenues collected from sales in grocery stores would be placed into a special fund that would be used to establish grocery stores in low-income communities, Amprey said.
Another change to the bill would attempt to create an incentive encouraging grocers and other non-traditional retailers to devote at least 25% of their alcohol sales to beer and wine brewed in Maryland.
In addition, these new retailers of alcoholic beverages would have to limit their stock of beer and wine to no more than 150 square feet of store space.
These amendments, which were discussed during a hearing on House Bill 1379 before the Economic Matters Committee, are Amprey’s way of attempting to soften the blow to traditional liquor stores and increase the chances that his much-debated bill will make it to Gov. Wes Moore’s desk.
Maryland is one of just three states, along with Alaska and Rhode Island, to ban all sales of alcoholic beverages in grocery stores. A fourth state, New Jersey, significantly restricts the practice but doesn’t prohibit it entirely.
“The ultimate goal here is to get more Maryland products into national stores,” Amprey wrote in a text message to The Baltimore Sun. “Maryland-made products are good enough to compete on a national scale. But our local laws are preventing the expansion.”
A provision to allow liquor sales in Maryland grocery stores has been introduced repeatedly in previous legislative sessions, including in 2023 and 2024, but rarely got very far. This year, though, the initiative has an influential booster — Maryland’s governor.
Carter Elliott IV, Moore’s senior press secretary, told The Sun that surveys show that 70% of state residents favor allowing supermarkets, convenience stores and big-box retailers to sell booze.
“Lifting this ban puts the consumers first, and ensures fair competition in the marketplace,” Elliott said.
An analysis of the bill prepared for legislators concluded that if the bill were passed, the impact on the state’s small businesses likely would be “significant.”
In general, the analysis found, the bill would benefit small businesses that succeed in obtaining the required license, while increasing competition for liquor stores and other businesses that already sell beer, wine and alcohol.
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