LCB Chairman: Recent Beer Guidelines Not Part Of A Plan

By Tony Romeo

HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- The chairman of the Liquor Control Board says recently issued guidelines making the purchase of beer more consumer friendly is not a back door attempt to implement Governor Wolf's plan to modernize sales of alcohol in Pennsylvania.

Governor Wolf favors modernization of alcohol sales, while Republicans who control the legislature want privatization.

At state budget hearings, Liquor Control Board Chairman Tim Holden said recent guidelines for home delivery of beer and relaxing restrictions on the quantities sold by beer distributors were simply the result of inquiries from licensees. He says he's asked the legal department to flag any imminent opinions that might draw publicity and at the moment, there are none.

"You know, there are always inquiries, but none has been brought to our attention that we need to be prepared to talk to the media about."

Holden says the LCB legal department actually issues hundreds of opinions a year and it just seems that the last few have been noteworthy.

He says there's not much that can be done to implement the governor's proposals without legislation.