‘Complicated’ switch to private liquor stores in NC will likely have to wait

A proposal to privatize the state’s liquor sales system likely won’t get a vote this year, but it could get further study, according to the bill’s leading sponsor.

House Bill 971 got its first committee hearing last summer; it would close government-run ABC stores and allow privately owned stores to take over liquor sales, while continuing to be regulated by the state’s ABC Commission.

The bill didn’t make it out of committee in the 2019 long session, but the state’s primary retail and hospitality industry groups have had a campaign called “#FreeTheSpirits” to gin up support for the sweeping change.