(KAIR)--“Alcohol tourism possibilities” could open locally under a bill, supported by the City of Atchison, and signed into law by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly.

That’s according to a release from the City of Atchison Wednesday, which states that the bill “will allow alcohol manufacturers to have a retail license within 2 miles of the manufacturing facility.”

The release notes that the City of Atchison testified on behalf of the legislation “multiple times before state legislators as it will allow MGP Ingredients to open a tasting room in Atchison and sell its portfolio of spirits if the company chooses to do so.”

According to the release, “the bill could open up alcohol tourism possibilities locally, similar to what Holladay Distillery has done in Weston, Missouri.”

House Bill 2057 was sponsored by State Representative Dr. John Eplee, of Atchison.

During testimony provided to the House Committee of Commerce, Labor, and Economic Development in February, Eplee called the matter "a somewhat long-standing issue that has percolated" in the Kansas Statehouse for several years.

According to Eplee's testimony, the issue was first introduced during the Legislative Session of 2015 by then State Representative Jerry Henry.

Written testimony provided to the Committee by MGP Vice-President, Chief Administrative Officer Dave Rindom, said the change could mean MGP "could further support the Atchison Community's economic well being by creating new employment opportunities, providing an additional attraction for visitors from surrounding states, and adding to the local sales tax base."

A support letter submitted to the Committee on behalf of the City of Atchison by Director of Administrative Services, Joe Warren, called the legislation "a common sense solution that addresses the current inequities facing border communities seeking to compete for tourism and recreational revenues with contemporaries in border states."