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The 56th district is located in Westmoreland County and has been represented by George Dunbar since 2010.

District profile
Westmoreland County

The 56th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in Westmoreland County and includes the following areas:


 * Hempfield Township (PART, District Wegley)
 * Irwin
 * Manor
 * North Huntingdon Township
 * North Irwin
 * Penn Township (PART)
 * Ward 01 [PART, Division 01]
 * Ward 02
 * Ward 03
 * Ward 04
 * Ward 05
 * Trafford (Westmoreland County Portion)

Modern History
The commonwealth of Pennsylvania has some of the strictest laws regarding the buying and selling of liquor in the United States. Spirits are permitted to be sold exclusively in state-owned Fine Wine and Good Spirits stores. Wine is also sold at Fine Wine and Good Spirits stores but is available at other outlets, such as wineries, restaurants and authorized retailers.

State-regulated liquor sales stem back to the Prohibition era. The commonwealth has controlled a monopoly over the sale of spirits since the repeal of Prohibition. State control of the sale of liquor can be largely credited to Pennsylvania Governor Gifford Pinchot. Governor Pinchot disagreed with the repeal of the 18th amendment. He saw drinking as the root of political corruption and thought it was the duty of the government to be the safeguard of public morality. Hence, Governor Pinchot oversaw the creation of a system in which the state profited from the sale of liquor while keeping tight control of the distribution and use of it.

The privatization of liquor sales has continued to be a pressing issue in Pennsylvania politics. Those in favor of privatizing cite selection and convenience as two benefits. Fine Wine and Good Spirits stores are often criticized for a lack of variety and limited store hours. Politicians supporting privatization claim that the government should not be in the business of selling liquor. Pennsylvania House majority leader Mike Turzai is quoted as saying the state-controlled sale of liquor is an "inherent conflict of interest when an institution in charge of law enforcement makes money by pushing alcohol sales". Opponents of privatizations cite the loss of some 4,000 state jobs, along with their benefits and pensions. A bill proposed by Turzai in 2011 would give private sellers tax credits for hiring former state employees. Opponents argue they would take pay cuts and lesser benefits. Anti-alcohol watchdog groups also have taken a stance against privatization, citing less education and programs preventing drunk driving.

Pennsylvania is the only state, other than Utah, where the government has total control of liquor and wine wholesale and retail operations within its borders. A majority of Pennsylvanians favor getting government involvement abolished from the business of selling alcohol. Privatization is held as a potential solution. Many of the state's rules were legacies of Prohibition, and began changing in the early 2010s.

Milton Shapp
Starting in 1974, the administration of Governor Milton Shapp wanted to abolish the Board and privatize liquor sales in Pennsylvania. Shapp had commissioned a study that had recommended converting the state stores into private ownership and control. Several bills had been introduced to legislature in 1979 that would eliminate or overhaul the PLCB.

Dick Thornburgh
In 1981, Governor Thornburgh announced he would propose that the state-owned stores be converted to privately owned retail outlets with the warehouse and wholesale operations remaining under state control. Under a Pennsylvania sunset law, the PLCB was almost exterminated in 1985, unless the legislature voted to extend its life, and eventually received a one-year extension.Governor Dick Thornburgh and his allies had complained that at the state stores, prices were high, good wine was scarce and the whole system was burdened by bureaucracy. He wanted to auction off liquor licenses to privatize the sale of alcohol. Senate Democrats, the PLCB and the unions representing state store employees filed lawsuits challenging his order to auction off liquor licenses. The courts ultimately invalidated his plan, and his Democratic successor, Bob Casey, pushed legislation through the General Assembly to retain and reform the PLCB. Thornburgh's proposals were eventually continued by Governor Tom Ridge's efforts.

Tom Corbett
When Tom Corbett was inaugurated in 2011, one of his objectives included abolishing the PLCB. Gov. Corbett said, government should not have influence in the business under any circumstance. He argued there would be better selection, more convenience, and lower prices under a private system. In 2011, Republican Allegheny House Majority Leader, Mike Turzai, announced House Bill 11 to privatize the sale operations of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Critics of the Board argue that the commonwealth would generate significant income by selling state liquor stores to private entities while continuing to reap millions in annual sales taxes from alcohol sales and liquor tax revenues. A few large grocery stores began exploiting a loophole in state law that let them operate with a restaurant license and sell six-packs of beer, and the idea proved popular.

Act 39
In 2016, Governor Wolf signed Act 39 changing many of the PLCB’s responsibilities, including regulatory, licensing, product procurement and marketing activities. After a major political compromise in 2016, it's now possible to buy beer and wine at grocery stores. A limited number of large convenience stores attached to gas stations can also sell beer to-go, after a longstanding prohibition on selling booze and gasoline at the same spot was lifted in 2017.