The Texas House gave preliminary approval to legislation on Wednesday that would allow restaurants to sell alcohol to-go in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak.
House Bill 1024 was approved by the chamber to permanently allow beer, wine, and mixed drinks to be included in pickup and delivery food orders, securing a revenue stream made available to restaurants last year to assist them when they closed their dining areas.
The bill will need to be voted on again before being referred to the Senate, where a version of the bill must still be approved by a committee before being considered by the full chamber.
After a difficult year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the restaurant industry may benefit from the new, permanent alcohol-to-go option. According to the Texas Restaurant Association, 700,000 restaurant employees lost their jobs in Texas during the early days of the pandemic, and thousands of Texas restaurants have closed.
