Letter to Speaker Bob Cupp in Opposition to Sub. Senate Bill 102 and Sunday Alcohol Sales Expansion

Summary

A letter dated November 14, 2021 from Save Sunday Ohio to The Honorable Bob Cupp, Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, opposing Sub. Senate Bill 102. The letter states that House language added to the bill would narrow the local-option process so that Sunday alcohol sales could be granted to all permit holders, and calls this the third attempt in two years. It argues that Ohio-based retailers that won Sunday sales at the ballot would lose sales, and cites Sunday license counts for Dollar General, Family Dollar, CVS and Walgreens. It also states that Sunday has the lowest incidence of crime each year and refers to earlier proponents of HB 219. The letter is signed by the organization's chairman.

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§31 Cliffside Drive

Save Sunday Ohio Columbus, Ohio 43202
(614) 447-9992

November 14, 2021

The Honorable Bob Cupp

Speaker, Ohio House of Representatives
77 S. High Street, 14" Floor

Columbus, Ohio 43215

Dear Speaker Cupp,

The Ohio House Commerce and Labor Committee will be hearing opponent testimony on Sub. Senate Bill
102 next week, which is ultimately the third attempt in two years to whittle down the local-option process
so Sunday alcohol sales can be granted to all permit holders. The amendment was slipped into Senator
Kristina Roegner’s home-brewing bill that had received almost unanimous Senate approval. However, the
House has added the offending language and appears ready to send it back to the Senate.

We, including retail permit holders, faith leaders and advocates for social responsibility, have defeated
language similar to this twice in two years. If we double the number of Sunday permit holders, which is
the goal of proponents, those who earned Sunday sales at the ballot will most definitely see a drop in
sales of beer, wine and/or liquor, and ancillary sales as well. Ohio-based retailers, Kroger, Discount Drug
Mart, Dave's, Marc’s, Buehler’s, Heinen’s, Grinders Above and Beyond, Fat Jack’s Pizza, Cameron Mitchell

Restaurants and numerous smaller operations, have seen the value of putting the effort into getting Sunday
sales at most or all of their stores.

Dollar General only has a Sunday license at 2 stores. (390 DG stores have weekly beer and wine out of 903
locations) Only 39 Family Dollars have Sunday licenses. (99 Family Dollars have weekly beer and wine out
of 449 locations) Fewer than 40% of CVS and Walgreens locations have Sunday licenses. All of the above
are out-of-state companies. If the legislature grants Sunday sales to all permit holders, the result will be not
only lost sales for the Ohio companies who have it, but more dollar stores popping up as they become more
profitable. And if the state takes the next step and just gives every store a seven-day license, because “why
shouldn’t we? What’s the difference?”, the Ohio-based grocery industry would likely be wrecked.

When HB 219 was up, the proponents were agents of the national liquor industry who wanted to capture sales
from beer and wine manufacturers and sellers. Their increased profits remain the driving force of the current
legislation. The House policy advisor I spoke to Friday said, “why should there be a difference between wine
and liquor?” “Why should Sunday be different than any other day?” There is a difference. Alcohol abuse
poses the same danger to health and safety now as it did 50 years ago. The legislature then gave communities
the option to vote for a break from alcohol one day a week, and it has worked well as designed. Crime
statistics demonstrate that Sunday still has the lowest incidence of crime every year, while Saturday has the
highest incidence of crime. That most Ohio-based companies have taken the initiative to earn a competitive
advantage is an additional benefit. This benefit should not be undone by the legislature to serve the profit
interests of some over the profit interests others who have worked a little harder to do the best job for their
customers and communities.

Sincerely,

‘a

Bob You
Chairman

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