Stronger Beer and Small City Liquor Bills Pass

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The Alabama Senate has passed a bill to
allow stronger beer to be sold in Alabama.
The so-called "Free the Hops" bill passed 19-9 Thursday and
now goes back to the House for review of changes made by the
Senate.
Earlier in the day, the Legislature overrode the governor's veto
of a bill that will allow small towns in dry counties to legalize
liquor sales.
The Senate voted 18-11 Thursday to override the veto. The House
did the same thing 54-19 on April 30. That means the bill, by
Democratic Rep. Jimmy Martin of Clanton, has been enacted into a
state law.
State law previously allowed towns with at least 7,000 people in
dry counties to vote to legalize liquor sales. Martin's bill allows
towns as small as 1,000 people to have referendums to legalize
liquor, but it excludes three dry counties: Clay, Randolph and
Blount.