"We're talking about the 2009 legislative session. It's not an election year," McCoy said, adding that Huntsman's interest in making liquor laws more tourist-friendly also helps. "This may actually be the right time to start having some of these discussions."

Still, McCoy said it wouldn't be easy to get Sunday sales legislation passed, "mostly because religion will be brought into that, probably." Most Utah lawmakers — like most Utahns — belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which counsels members to abstain from drinking alcohol.

Wojnar didn't sound too optimistic, either.

"Maybe over the course of time it will happen," he said.

Utah, Wojnar said, is seen as more stringent towards drinking than other states. "I think there's obviously a perception around the country," he said, "that Utah is a very restrictive, conservative jurisdiction when it comes to alcohol."

Thirteen states have lifted Sunday sales prohibitions since 2002, including Massachusetts.

It was former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a Mormon well-known to Utahns as head of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, who signed the law ending the Sunday sales ban there.

At the time, Romney said abolishing the prohibition was a matter of fairness, not morals. During his unsuccessful bid for the White House, Romney cited his signing the law as demonstrating he did not impose his faith on his constituents.

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