Of wine sales and redistricting

THUMBS UP TO:

Wine law revision

Tennessee lawmakers are considering three bills that would allow state residents to buy wine over the Internet or by mail order. We support the law change. It would allow residents to buy wines from small vineyards or niche wineries. Many other states allow such purchases.

This legislation also would open additional markets to Tennessee’s small wineries, which would now be able to sell their vintages by mail or through the Internet. This would benefit the industry and perhaps attract new visitors to the state.

There are advantages for the state, too. Wine sold in this manner would be subject to state sales tax; the legislature estimates the law change could generate $10 million a year in new revenue for the state and $2 million a year in new revenue for local governments. The primary opponents appear to be wine and liquor wholesalers and retailers, who are interested in turf protection, but they shouldn’t get the final say. Open the markets.

Courthouse upgrade

Work on a $2 million renovation and security upgrade at the Bristol Virginia courthouse is under way. When completed, the facility will better meet the needs of judges, courthouse workers and the public, and it will be much more secure. Visitors will enter through a single security checkpoint, instead of multiple less secure entrances. In today’s world, such careful attention to security is a must.

Few large projects go forward without a hitch, and this one had a major flaw. Construction work eliminated handicapped access ramps to the jail and sheriff’s office, creating a significant hardship for a few visitors last week. Temporary ramps are set to be installed and access restored. Better planning might have prevented the problem, but we applaud the expedited effort to rectify the situation.

THUMBS DOWN TO:

Redistricting bill’s demise

A bill to create a bipartisan commission to redraw Virginia’s legislative districts died at the hands of a small group of Republicans in the House of Delegates Friday. The voice vote took place in a committee and was not recorded. The bill had passed the Virginia Senate with relative ease.

Sadly, this seems typical behavior for Republican delegates of late. Controversial measures are dispatched without recorded vote or floor debate. Returning to this particular bill, state voters are the ultimate losers. A bipartisan redistricting commission might have resulted in more competitive delegate and senate districts – rather than ones designed specifically for incumbent protection. Democrats and Republicans have been guilty of crafting districts to protect their own in the past, but that’s no justification for continuing the practice in perpetuity. The commission concept was a step forward; House Republicans just set the state back.

Balking at an open container bill

Tennessee lawmakers’ adverse reaction to a proposal to strengthen the state’s open container law defies all common sense. Tennessee is one of fewer than a dozen states across the nation with a lax open container law and it forfeits some federal highway funds as a result. Fixing the law’s flaw – which allows a vehicle’s passenger to possess an open container of alcohol – is a logical, overdue solution.

But not so fast. Rep. Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol, was told to delay action on his bill to fix the law or watch it die, according to the Knoxville News-Sentinel. He chose the first option – a two-week delay.

During that time, we urge other local representatives to get behind the bill. No one in a vehicle needs to be drinking; it’s time to plug the hole in the state law.