In a 39-11 vote, the state Senate passed a bill Monday that allows beer distributors to sell alcohol seven days a week, making distributors the final alcohol-selling establishment to receive their Sunday licenses.

Gov. Ed Rendell's spokesman Abe Amoros said Rendell would not oppose the bill and plans to sign it when he receives it in 10 days and would go into effect immediately.

Distributors will have to pay a $100 permit fee to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and then, with the permit, they could be open for business from noon to 5 p.m., if they choose to do so.

Similar legislation failed last year in the face of opposition from restaurant and tavern owners, who said it would cut into their business. To satisfy them, the legislation would expand the wholesale discount they get on purchases from state liquor stores from 7 to 10 percent. It also would remove the requirement that a tavern or restaurant selling liquor on Sunday must make 30 percent of its money from food, although the requirement would remain in force in Philadelphia.

Paul Pletcher, Pletcher's Beer owner, 330 W. Aaron Drive, said he would prefer to stay closed on Sundays, but added that the decision would be based on his competitors.

Pletcher said distributors should not be held responsible for how their consumers choose to drink beer.

"I don't see how we can take personal responsibility," Pletcher said. "If we don't sell to underage drinkers and do our job here."

Five other local beer distributors would not comment.

Off-campus student union president Ryan Bennington said he did not think the bill would have much of an impact on the student population.

"What's one more day with limited hours?" he said. "If people want to binge drink, they're going to binge drink."

Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon said he was unsure if the bill would affect the binge drinking and alcohol deaths in State College, but he added that hundreds of students have been assaulted or lost their lives due to alcohol-related problems within the community.

State Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre, said he opposed the bill because of the possible impact it could have on existing alcohol-related problems, like underage and binge drinking.

"I understand where distributors are coming from, but binge drinking is already a big problem," Corman said.

Don Houser, Corman's spokesman, said the bill mostly likely passed through the senate because large quantities of alcohol are already available to consumers six days a week.

Hal McCullough, owner of Café 210 West, 210 W. College Ave., said that the new law could become problematic for smaller beer stores.

"Take-out beer shops do a very nice business on Sundays," he said

McCullough added that he did not expect his business to be affected.

State College Police Sgt. Mark Argiro said there would be no change in the treatment of alcohol-related incidents.

"The more difficult it is to obtain large amounts of alcohol at the last minute, the better," Argiro said.

Pletcher said that although he would rather wait to have the bill passed, he does not think open distributors on Sundays would affect alcohol-related problems.

"If someone wants a beer ... go to a tavern," he said. "Bottle shops are open on Sundays. It's not an issue of accessibility."

--The Associated Press contributed to this report