Last week, Tennessee c-store and gas station owners expressed their concerns surrounding a bill banning cold beer sales. The Tennessee Fuel and Convenience Store Association (TFCA) met with Rep. Ron Gant (R-TN), representing the convenience industry and the unfair language in the bill.

Rep. Gant recently said that changes are being made to the bill, reported WSMV4 in Tennessee. He stated that he did not want the bill to infringe on law-abiding citizens or be unfair to businesses.

The bill will require the Tennessee Impaired Driving Council to develop a report about impaired driving in Tennessee and include recommendations to decrease drunk driving deaths, Rep. Gant said.

In a statement to WSMV4, Rep. Gant said:

“While the final version of the bill is still being drafted, it will not include any language that prevents the sale of cold beer in Tennessee. This was one of several ideas being discussed by stakeholders across our state, however, I do not want to infringe on law-abiding citizens or be unfair to businesses.”

According to TFCA, Indiana is the only state that prohibits the sale of chilled beer in convenience stores. A recent analysis published in the Indianapolis Star revealed that liquor stores sell to minors at twice the rate of other retailers, undermining a core argument used to justify the liquor store industry's virtual monopoly on cold beer sales.