The drive to sell Pennsylvania's liquor stores may be stalling, as time is running out and the state Legislature's plate is full of other issues to resolve before the end of the session.

But if the bill, co-sponsored by three local lawmakers, were to make it to Gov. Tom Corbett's desk by the end of the year, it may be because the drive to end the commonwealth's monopoly on liquor sales has some unexpected allies:

Social conservatives.

Long regarded as hostile to any attempt to relax the state's liquor laws, some social conservatives now say they favor House Bill 11 for economic reasons — and because they believe in the need to reduce the reach of government.

Lancaster County ACTION — Americans for Christian Traditions in Our Nation — has endorsed HB11. "I just don't think government, the state, should be in the liquor business," said Robert Kettering, ACTION president.

"When the state's in the liquor business, I'm in the liquor business."

State Rep. John Bear, a Lititz Republican and co-sponsor of HB11, said he's been surprised by the number of social conservatives who back the measure.

"I thought the county overall would support it, but I wasn't sure where social conservatives would fall," he said. "But a lot of social conservatives I know are supportive."

Others, however, continue to battle the proposal, as they've fought privatization plans in the past.

"My views have not changed," said Dianne M. Berlin, of Penryn, an opponent of gambling who once led a drive to ban the sale of alcohol in Manheim. House Bill 11, she said, "is not only a terrible idea, it's a reprehensible idea."

Time has come?
But an idea, it seemed, whose time had come.

Privatization failed under Govs. Dick Thornburgh and Tom Ridge. But when HB11 was introduced in July by House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, an Allegheny County Republican, the climate seemed ideal.

Pennsylvania had a Republican governor and GOP Legislature; fiscal woes could be eased by selling liquor licenses; and polls showed large majorities of Pennsylvanians liked the idea. It appeared the last remnants of Prohibition might be swept away.

In addition to Bear, local GOP Reps. Ryan Aument, Landisville, and Tom Creighton, Rapho Township, are HB11 co-sponsors.

But with just a few weeks left in the legislative calendar, other issues — including a Marcellus Shale impact fee and school vouchers — have taken precedence.

Late last month Gov. Tom Corbett released a consultant's report advocating that Pennsylvania sell 1,500 private liquor store licenses to raise up to $1.6 billion in cash up front. But Corbett hasn't really pushed the issue. Asked about privatization at a press conference last month, he replied: "If there is a will in the Legislature to get it done, it will get done."

Next year, all House members are up for re-election — and could steer clear of what has historically been a controversial issue.

But Bear said privatization seems far less controversial than generally assumed. When United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776 — which represents about 3,500 state store clerks — ran radio ads attacking Bear and the legislation, his phones started ringing: "Of those calls," he said, "143 were in support, and six were against.

"And I think I've only had one individual send me a letter saying he was opposed to privatization on moral grounds."

Traditionally, Bear noted, privatization had three chief opponents: social conservatives, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and unions. All have argued that easing state oversight of liquor sales could result in more drunken driving and more access to alcohol by minors, among other problems.

But this time around, even some socially conservative legislators lean toward a "yes" on privatization. State Rep. Gordon Denlinger, a Narvon Republican who bills himself as a fiscal and social conservative, told the Sunday News earlier this fall that while he worries about the impact of alcohol on society, "the tension here for a conservative is to weigh societal concerns against the free market-based desire to get government out of the alcohol sales business."

Kettering, the ACTION president and owner of Ketterline Builders, said that mirrored his own reasoning: "I'm a businessman and I think normally, [business] can do things more efficiently than government."

Bear spoke on privatization at ACTION's October meeting, where he received the group's support. He was ecstatic. "An organization like ACTION carries a lot of weight with conservatives in this county," Bear said.

But Kettering conceded that "this isn't a hot-button issue for me. I'd be a lot more concerned about other issues."

Privatization does not appear to be a pressing issue for some other socially conservative organizations. The Pennsylvania Family Institute, for example, which seeks "to strengthen families by restoring to public life the traditional, foundational principles and values essential for the well-being of society," according to the group's website, does not address the privatization issue on its site.

Phone and email messages seeking comment from PFI President Michael Geer last week were not returned.

More problems
Yet some social conservatives still oppose the sale of state stores.

Earlier this month, Pennsylvanians Concerned About Alcohol Problems issued a statement condemning HB11, asserting that "alcohol is a poison and can kill when consumed in large quantities" and that "the problems related to alcohol use are not decreasing but increasing."

The group is helmed by the Rev. Don H. Wert, a former pastor of Faith Evangelical Congregational Church and member of the Conestoga Valley School Board who returned to Lancaster County in June after retiring from a position in Lehigh County.

"The legislation Turzai is pushing literally doubles the amount of outlets that can sell hard liquor from about 600 to up to 1,200," Wert said. "It's just a matter of mathematics here — if you're going to have literally twice as many places to purchase this product, you're going to have more problems."

Or, as Wert said his wife has noted, "More alcohol means more drunks."

Dianne Berlin, the Penryn activist, concurs, saying that what Pennsylvania needs isn't fewer restrictions on liquor sales — but more.

"The LCB has gone from being the Liquor Control Board to the Liquor Consumers Board," Berlin said. "But when dealing with alcohol, the costs outweigh revenues.

"My own personal opinion is, put all alcohol sales under the state store system and stop the advertising."

"They want a way to make money? That's a way to make money."

Gil Smart is associate editor of the Sunday News. Email him at gsmart@lnpnews.com, or phone 291-8817.