Liquor License Bill Advances

 
A South Dakota House committee has endorsed a plan that would let cities and counties issue additional on-sale liquor licenses for full-service restaurants.

The Commerce Committee voted 11-2 to pass SB126, which has already been approved by the Senate. A similar bill also remains alive, and lawmakers will try to agree on a final version before the main run of this year's legislative session ends next week.

Liquor licenses are now limited by a community's population. The limit on license numbers means existing licenses sell for several hundred thousand dollars in some large cities.