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An Act To Amend the Authorized Hours during Which Liquor May Be Sold and Purchased
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 28-A MRSA §4, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2001, c. 21, §1, is further amended to read:
 
1. Hours for sale of liquor.   Except as provided in paragraphs A toB and D, licensees may sell or deliver liquor from 65 a.m. on any day until 1 a.m. of the following day.
 
A.  Licensees may not sell liquor on Sunday between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.
 
B. Licensees may sell liquor on January 1st of any year from 12 midnight to 2 a.m.
 
(1) In areas in which liquor may be sold except on Sundays, if January 1st falls on a Monday, licensees may sell or deliver liquor between 9 p.m. Sunday, December 31st and 2 a.m. January 1st, notwithstanding any local option decisions to the contrary.
 
D. Wholesale licensees may sell or deliver liquor to licensed establishments from 4 a.m. on any day until 1 a.m. the following day.
Sec. 2. 28-A MRSA §4, sub-§§5 and 6, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 45, Pt. A, §4, are repealed.
Sec. 3. 28-A MRSA §353, as amended by PL 1997, c. 373, §40, is further amended to read:
§ 353.Business hours
State liquor stores and agency liquor stores may be open for the sale and delivery of liquor between the hours of 65 a.m. and 1 a.m. in municipalities and unincorporated places that have voted in favor of the operation of state liquor stores under local option provisions. Notwithstanding any local option decisions to the contrary, state liquor stores and agency liquor stores may be open from 95 a.m. Sunday to 1 a.m. the next day. The alcohol bureau shall establish the hours of operation of each state liquor store.
Sec. 4. 28-A MRSA §1077, sub-§2, ¶C, as amended by PL 1997, c. 656, §3, is further amended to read:
 
C. A vessel licensed to sell liquor under this section may sell liquor on Sundays only between the hours of 9:005 a.m. and midnight on inland waters and when operated within the 3-mile limit on coastal waters.
Sec. 5. 28-A MRSA §1355-A, sub-§2, ¶E, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 629, §22, is amended to read:
 
E. A licensee may serve complimentary samples of liquor on Sunday after the hour of 95 a.m. and may sell liquor on Sunday after the hour of 95 a.m. if the municipality in which the licensed premises is located has authorized the sale of liquor on Sunday for consumption off the premises under chapter 5.
 
SUMMARY
This bill allows a holder of a liquor license to sell or deliver liquor from 5 a.m. on any day until 1 a.m. of the following day except in those areas in which liquor may not be sold on Sundays. The bill also amends sections of law that deal with the sale of liquor on Sundays to reflect this change.