Alcohol To Go is Now Law in Texas Effective Immediately

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took to Twitter to share the good news that he has signed the bill to make alcohol to go permanent, effective immediately.

Abbott tweeted, “Alcohol to-go is now LAW in Texas! Thank you to my partners in the legislature for getting this to my desk.” 

The moves comes as no surprise as it's been assumed that he would sign the legislation once it worked it's way through the process of the House and the Senate.

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The Texas Senate sent HB 1024, which would allow restaurants to sale beer, wine and mixed drinks for delivery and pick-up orders, to Abbott in late April. He signed the bill today to make it official.

Alcohol-to-go was initially introduced last year as a way to help restaurants make money as the pandemic led to shutdowns and stay at home orders. The order was set to expire in May 2020 but was extended as the pandemic continued.

Although restaurants continue to struggle as we near the end of the pandemic, alcohol-to-go will give Texas restaurants a permanent revenue stream and help them recover.

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Market Insider reports that The Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) along with the Texas Legislature and Gov. Abbott all worked with stakeholders in the alcoholic beverage industry to get this law passed.

Emily Williams Knight, Ed.D., President and CEO of TRA said, "Gov. Abbott's emergency waiver allowing alcohol to-go during the pandemic saved thousands of restaurant jobs, creating a new revenue stream and unleashing the innovation that restaurants will need to rebuild from the pandemic. We still have a long road to recovery ahead, but with tools like alcohol to-go, the restaurant industry's future is brighter than ever in Texas."

Of course, drinking and driving is still against the law so a alcohol to go law does not mean you can drink while you drive. As always, you should drink responsibly and always find a designated driver.