Gov. Haslam signs 7-day liquor sales bill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennesseans will be able to buy liquor on Sunday after Gov. Bill Haslam signed a law allowing seven-day sales of wines and spirits.

The law allows liquor and wine sales every day, with the exception of Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. However, a provision in the new law gives liquor stores a head start on seven-day sales. Grocery stores cannot begin selling wine until January.

Some liquor stores will remain closed on Sundays if their owners decide not to open.

The law was passed a week ago despite opposition from religious conservatives. Afterward, a group of pastors denounced its passage as “despicable,” and the organization’s leader accused lawmakers in Tennessee’s Republican-dominated Legislature of selling out to “Big Liquor.”

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)