A bill was amended Wednesday that would allow the sale of wine in New York grocery stores as lawmakers make a final push to pass legislation to modernize the state's alcohol laws in the next two weeks.

Lawmakers for more than a decade have debated creating licenses for supermarkets to sell wine, beer and cider products, and a series of other proposals to update New York's Alcoholic and Beverage Control laws, which date back to Prohibition.

"We're trying to support New York wineries to expand and to sell and we're giving food stores who choose to put New York wine on their shelves a tax incentive for doing that," sponsor state Sen. Liz Krueger told Spectrum News 1.

Krueger, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, introduced a new version of her legislation Wednesday that would permit liquor stores to sell snacks, tobacco and drink mixers; would allow food stores to apply that are at least 4,000 square feet — reduced from 5,000 square feet; and adds a rule to prevent supermarkets that sell wine and liquor stores to be within 500 feet of each other.

"I'm not giving up hope that's something I could even try to move this year," Krueger said. "...It's still possible, but it's probably not. But I would love to say we could get it done, because when I talk to my colleagues, nobody really has strong opposition to it."

New York is one of 10 states that doesn't permit the sale of wine in grocery stores.

"It's the right thing to do for New York wineries and consumers," the senator added. "And again, 40 other states are doing it."

Large distributors and some liquor stores continue to fight the idea, which a 2023 Siena College poll shows three quarters of New Yorkers support.

With just more than two weeks left of session, time is of the essence for the Senate and Assembly to pass legislation and send it to Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk.

And like in years' past, pushback is mounting from the state's two main alcohol distributors as other proposals gain momentum. 

"Alcohol laws are sort of like a Jenga tower," said Sen. James Skoufis, who chairs the Investigations & Government Operations Committee. "You pull out one block and the whole tower starts to shake and people start to get angry with you depending on what kind of stakeholder they are."

Skoufis sponsors two bills to help small businesses and alcohol consumers that he says will bring the state's ABC laws into the 21st century.

One would allow restaurants and taverns to buy up to 12 bottles per week from liquor stores instead of wait for a weekly shipment from the wholesaler.

"Let's say over the weekend, you run out of an important liquor," said Sandra Jaquez, president of the New York State Latino restaurant Bar & Lounge Association. "That means that you can't have it until Tuesday...so this way, you'll be able to go to the liquor store, buy a couple of bottles to hold you off through the weekend and then you can resume your liquor purchases as normal."

Jaquez owns Il Sole restaurant — the only fine dining in Inwood community of New York City — and said retail-to-retail alcohol sales must be allowed to help small businesses continue alcohol sales when they run out of a specific liquor type.

"It's just for these instances where you run out of something that you need in an emergency so you have that available to you," she said.

The bill has passed the Senate several times, and is expected to again this year, but pushback from wholesalers has prevented a vote in the Assembly — and could again.

"The barriers we face is overcoming these two big companies that don't want the system to change because they make a lot of money in the current system," Skoufis said.

And a bill advanced through Senate committee Wednesday to change a part of state law that hasn't been amended in more than 90 years.

If it becomes law, it would allow liquor store owners to get more than one retail license from the state and open another location. Current state law limits ownership of a retail liquor store license to one per person.

"Current state liquor law prevents liquor store owners from expanding and growing their business," Assembly sponsor Brian Cunningham said Wednesday.

Cunningham and other assemblymembers said conversations with leadership are ongoing, and there's a chance this year that the bills will be sent to Hochul's desk.

"We know a lot of these stores hire locally," said Cunningham, a Brooklyn Democrat. "So I think this is a good economic development bill. This has less to do with liquor than economic development in the state of New York."

A commission to reform the state's alcoholic beverage reform laws approved 18 different recommendations to the state Legislature in 2023. The expansion of retail liquor store licenses and allowing the retail-to-retail sale of alcohol were part of those recommendations, but selling wine in grocery stores was not.

The State Liquor Authority, known as the SLA, does not comment on, or take positions on, pending legislation.