The House passed a pair of bills on Tuesday that would reshape laws surrounding the sale of alcohol in Mississippi.

The first would allow the direct shipment of liquor to Mississippians’ homes, and the second would let local authorities pass ordinances allowing the sale of alcohol on Sundays.

House Bill 669 would allow the direct shipment of liquor. Rep. Hank Zuber, a Republican from Ocean Springs who chairs the House State Affairs Committee, said the law would bring Mississippi’s alcohol laws “into the 21st century.” 

The legislation comes after Mississippi legalized the direct shipment of some wines in 2025. Supporters fought for over a decade to get the Legislature to agree to such a measure, and it was signed by Gov. Tate Reeves last year. Rep. Brent Powell, a Republican from Brandon, said his proposal to do the same for liquor is modeled after the wine shipment legalization, using the same permitting rules that the law sets out.

The bill would also enact a 15.5% tax on each sale of “distilled spirits” made to a Mississippi resident. It defines distilled spirits as any beverage containing more than 6% of alcohol by weight produced by the distillation of fermented grain, starch, molasses or sugar.

Similar measures in the past have attracted opposition from those concerned that allowing for the direct shipment of alcohol could exacerbate alcohol abuse or hurt sales at brick-and-mortar stores.

“In my 40 years as a lawyer, I’ve made a lot of money on DUIs, so keep up the good work,” said Rep. Bob Evans, a Democrat from Monticello who voted against the bill, which passed 75-32.

House Bill 672, also authored by Powell, would give local authorities in “wet” jurisdictions, or areas of the state that legally permit alcohol sales, the power to allow permitted package retailers to sell alcoholic beverages on Sunday.

Current state law forbids liquor stores from operating on Sundays, a legacy of historical “blue laws” rooted in religious traditions. Package stores are allowed to operate from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday through Saturday. This bill would change that if entities such as counties, municipalities and tribes pass an ordinance allowing the sale of alcohol on Sunday, including both wine and liquor.

That bill passed 62-47.

Both measures will now head to the Senate for consideration.