ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Fresh faces at the Legislature and an extra push from a powerful politician have Minnesota's ban on Sunday liquor sales in the crosshairs again.

It's been a perennial topic at the Capitol for years but efforts to remove it have routinely failed. Minnesota is one of just 12 states with a Sunday sales ban.

But a majority of the nearly 40 lawmakers who left the Legislature had voted to uphold the ban. And many newcomers told The Associated Press they'd like to see it go in 2017.

Freshman Rep. Cal Bahr says private businesses should set their own hours. A bill was set for an initial vote in a House committee Tuesday.

House Speaker Kurt Daudt has co-authored a bill to allow Sunday sales. He calls it a populist issue.

 

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