Legislation will be proposed to repeal North Dakota's 'Sunday Closing Law', which would give retailers the option of whether they'd like to open their businesses early on Sundays.

The legislation is being sponsored by Democratic Rep. Pam Anderson and Republican Rep. Shannon Roers Jones.

A similar attempt to pass such legislation fell short in 2017 by just two votes. Opposition to the bill has come based on religious grounds while other lawmakers have claimed that repealing the bill is 'selfish consumerism'.

The blue laws have been in place since 1889 when North Dakota became a state. At the time, many feared that retail shore shopping on Sundays would erode family values by competing with church.

According to the Grand Forks Herald, Republican Gov. Doug Burgum supports repealing the Sunday Closing Law.

It's common to see shoppers in North Dakota waiting outside retailers in the parking lots before noon on Sundays, while others will travel across state lines to purchase what they need. North Dakota is currently the only state that prohibits Sunday morning shopping, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Anderson is hoping to reintroduce the repeal in 2019. The next session begins January 3rd.

 

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