HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A court ruling says the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board must let special orders be shipped directly to retailers instead of sending them to state stores for pickup.
The Commonwealth Court says the PLCB can't ignore a 2016 state law that permits the direct shipping of wines and spirits not sold in state stores.
Retailers and restaurants have instead had to get their orders at state stores that have been closed or operating on a limited basis during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Judge Kevin Brobson says the agency must comply in a reasonable timeframe.
PENNSYLVANIA BUDGET
The economic hurt from measures to contain the coronavirus is being felt, as Pennsylvania state government's tax collections collapsed in April and, in Philadelphia, Mayor Jim Kenney proposed tax increases and layoffs.
The state Revenue Department on Friday reported collecting $2.2 billion in April.
That's half of what it had originally expected before the pandemic hit.
The department estimated that approximately $1.7 billion of April's shortfall can be attributed to moving tax-filing deadlines to July or later.
Meanwhile, Gov. Tom Wolf's administration has frozen nearly $1 billion in authorized spending.
Wolf has said he is counting on billions in federal aid to help fill gaps.
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