Holcomb Signs Alcohol, Baby Boxes Bills

Among the final bills Gov. Eric Holcomb signed into law is the measure temporarily rewriting the state’s alcohol laws.

The bill, a response to Ricker’s convenience stores obtaining a pair of restaurant alcohol carryout permits, imposes a new requirement for carryout. And while grandfathering in almost all existing permit holders, the bill leaves Ricker’s out, meaning it’ll likely lose its permits next year. In a statement, Holcomb said signing that bill comes with an understanding that the state’s alcohol laws must be reviewed and changed.

In a statement, Ricker’s owner Jay Ricker said the bill warranted a veto but is glad that Holcomb acknowledged the need for a common-sense review of Indiana’s alcohol statutes.

Holcomb also made law a measure legalizing baby boxes in hospitals while also sanctioning the state’s two existing devices, both of which are in firehouses. The boxes are meant to provide people with more anonymity when dropping off unwanted newborns. But the bill imposes few safety regulations, which the Department of Child Services had balked at the legislation during session.