A floor debate over legislation to privatize the sale of wine and liquor in Pennsylvania is expected in the Republican-controlled state Senate tonight.
Senators said Friday night that Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi has secured the 26 votes necessary to pass a yet-to-be-seen amendment he's written after days of working on it.
The proposed privatization of liquor and wine sales is one of Gov. Tom Corbett's top legislative priorities, as is his proposal to generate billions of dollars for transportation projects by increasing a wholesale tax on motor fuels.
The two issues are indirectly linked: Senate Republicans have made a transportation bill a top priority while House GOP leaders are leading efforts to privatize the state-controlled liquor and wine system.
Democrats oppose the privatization of wine and liquor sales.
But holdout Republican senators say they now will grudgingly support Pileggi's amendment because it could compel the House to approve a transportation funding plan.
