By Rob Moritz
Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Mike Beebe told Arkansas beer distributors today he doubts the Legislature would change state law to allow stores to sell alcohol on Sundays.

He was asked about Sunday aclohol sales at the end of a speech to the distributors at their annual conference.

“If you are asking me if I think the Legislature would pass that and open it statewide in wet counties for Sunday sales and obviate the need for a local election, I’d be lying to you if I said I thought you’d be successful,” the governor said. “I don’t think you will.”

Michael Roleson, president of Ed Roleson Jr. Inc., a beer wholesaler that operates in the border counties of Mississippi and Greene, told Beebe that Sunday sales of beer at stores would bring more revenue to the state.

“We’re losing a considerable amount of revenue to other states,” Roleson said, adding that a way to “bring revenue back without taxation would be to open Sunday sales within the state of Arkansas.”

He noted that restaurants in wet counties can get permits to sell alcohol on Sunday, but alcohol sales at a store on Sunday are illegal.

Beebe told the 50 wholesalers attending the conference that current state election laws allow voters to consider the issue at the local level.

“You now have got a local option, which I know you don’t prefer, but there is currently a way the local folks can vote on that, if they choose to vote on that,” he said.

Beebe urged the wholesalers not to try to bring the issue before the Legislature next week, when lawmakers begin the first-ever fiscal session. Rules during a fiscal session require a two-thirds majority of both the House and Senate to consider any non-appropriation legislation.

He suggested waiting until the regular session in 2011, at which time lawmakers can consider any type of measure.