Wine in grocery stores bill rejected by House committee

A bill that would have allowed the sale of wine in Tennessee grocery stores was all but killed Tuesday, failing in a House committee roll call by one vote. 

The bill would have allowed local referendums to be taken on whether wine could be sold outside liquor stores. The House Local Government Committee did not move the bill forward, rejecting it in an 8-7 vote. 

It wasn't the first time the proposal of selling wine in state grocery stores has been suggested. As in the past, lobbyists for both the grocery and package store industries pressured lawmakers from both sides. 

Rep. Vince Dean, who represents Hamilton County's District 30, voted in favor of the bill. Rep. Richard Floyd, who represents District 27, opposed it.