House Speaker Daudt raises hopes for Sunday liquor sales

House Speaker Kurt Daudt
Speaker of the House Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015 during the state House session at the Capitol.
Jennifer Simonson | MPR News

Minnesota House Speaker Kurt Daudt is raising the hopes of Sunday liquor sales advocates with a new prediction about the issue's prospects this session.

During an MPR News interview Friday, Daudt said he can guarantee that a proposal to lift the state's long ban on Sunday sales will come up as an amendment on the House floor in the coming weeks, as it has in the past.

He just doesn't know how it will fare this time. The legislation received only an informational hearing this week and was left out of a larger liquor bill. Daudt said he'll vote for the amendment when it comes up.

"It needs to get 68 out of the House to get on the bill," he said. "I think if it gets added as an amendment in the House, which I think it probably has a 50-50 shot of getting added. If it does get added, I believe it will become law."

The Sunday sales initiative faces a similar uphill climb in the Senate. DFL Gov. Mark Dayton has said he will sign the change if it reaches his desk.

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