Texas House Moves to Permanently Legalize Alcohol-To-Go
The pandemic we've been enduring for the last year has changed the way some establishments do business. The restaurant industry was one of many that were hit hard. They've had to find new ways to serve their customers, whether that involves curbside pick-up, delivery, or the use of delivery services, and alcohol to go has been a big part of that.
Governor Abbott was quick to waive regulations from the start and allow alcohol to go sales as a way to help the struggling restaurant business. Since then, many have wondered if Texas will make that a permeant option. It looks like it's one step away from approval.
According to a report from FOX44 NEWS, House Bill 1024 cleared the Texas House with a vote of 144-1. The nay came from State Rep. Matt Shaheen of Plano.
The bill would allow restaurants to include alcoholic beverages in deliveries with the purchase of food. That includes beer, wine and mixed drinks. Businesses would need to have a mixed beverage permit, plus a food and beverage certificate, and alcoholic beverages would need to be sealed before leaving the premises or placed in a tamper-proof container for delivery. If you look closely at the bill, it also requires containers to be clearly labeled "alcoholic beverage", and allows for third-party delivery services like DoorDash, Grubhub, and Favor. Woohoo!
Gov. Abbott seems to be on board as well. You may remember him tweeting about this almost a year ago, saying, "From what I hear from Texans, we may just let this keep on going forever.".
Let's hope this passes the Texas Senate as well. If it does, it'll head to Gov. Abbott's desk for his signature.