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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| State Rep. Frank Dermody |
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Dermody comments on demise of corporate liquor bill
HARRISBURG, June 19 -- Democratic Leader Frank Dermody commented on the decision by Republican Leader Mike Turzai to suspend efforts to pass H.B. 11 seeking to privatize liquor sales in Pennsylvania:
“It was a flawed concept from the beginning so this is good news for consumers and for the 5,000 hard-working people employed in existing state stores,” Dermody said.
“The privatization scheme would have shortchanged Pennsylvanians by raising prices and lowering selection. House Democrats spoke with one voice to fight the Turzai plan and I believe that was a large factor in the decision to step away from privatizing.
“Pennsylvania’s wine and spirits system works for Pennsylvania. Consumers in all regions of the state have excellent selection and, because of the LCB’s bulk purchasing power, prices are very competitive. The existing system is an asset that generates reliable annual revenue for the state.
“Democrats were ready to offer alternatives to the Turzai bill aimed at modernizing the existing system to make it better for consumers, but those things can be done without selling off this valuable asset to corporate bidders. We’ll be ready to work along those lines with our Republican colleagues and other stakeholders anytime they want to revisit this issue in the future.
“For the next 10 days, there are many more urgent issues that command our attention, most notably finding ways to limit the damage done by Governor Corbett’s harsh budget cuts to schools, health care and human services.”