Lawmakers focused on passing a state budget pushed off efforts to change Indiana’s alcohol-sales laws this year, but they will explore the issue this summer and might take it up in the next legislative session.

Proponents of allowing Sunday liquor sales hope consumers who share their feeling on the question will join a petition drive to urge legislators to change the state’s laws.

Hoosiers for Beverage Choices launched its mostly online petition drive last fall in hopes of spurring legislation in the spring, but legislative leaders decided alcohol issues wouldn’t be taken up this year.

The proponents represent grocery stories, convenience stores and drugstores that want to be able to sell alcoholic beverages on Sundays, now prohibited by law, and to be able to sell chilled beer, now limited to liquor stores.

Retail liquor stores continue to oppose the changes, saying they are subject to more stringent oversight of their operations — restricting customers and clerks to 21 and older, for example.

Advocates for the changes hope that support from more Hoosiers will motivate elected leaders to act in the 2010 legislative session, said Matt Norris, director of the campaign.

After the group collected about 10,000 online endorsements last fall when its Web site was launched, the number of names on the list has grown to about 25,000, Norris said.

In addition, some retailers who support the changes will have in-store petitions that can be signed on the spot.

Grant M. Monahan, president of the Indiana Retail Council, said allowing cold-beer sales from grocery and other stores and Sunday sales of alcohol would level the playing field among retailers, give consumers the convenience they want and increase sales and tax receipts to the state.

He said proponents estimate Sunday sales would add about $9 million to state coffers in sales tax revenues, in addition to about $3.2 million in new permit fees that retailers such as grocery stores would pay to get permission for Sunday sales.

However, John Livengood, president of the Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers, said there would be no net increase in sales because Hoosiers are used to current laws and plan their alcohol purchases for Monday through Saturday. In a few parts of the state near Michigan, Ohio and Illinois communities where liquor is sold on Sundays, there might be a slight difference, he said.

State Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, chairman of the Interim Study Committee on Alcoholic Beverage Issues, said the questions of sales patterns and tax receipts are among those his committee plans to look at this summer. Meetings have been delayed because of the special legislative session that agreed on a state budget Tuesday, but he said the sessions would be scheduled soon.