HARRISBURG (AP) - Pennsylvania lawmakers were poised to vote Tuesday to let groceries and other outlets sell wine and to put into law the sale of beer at convenience stores that has already begun as a result of court cases.

The House Rules Committee voted overwhelmingly to position the bill for a floor vote, and Republicans who control the chamber said they expected it to be on the desk of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf within hours.

The bill that passed the Senate in December with only two Democratic "yes" votes would let some 14,000 holders of takeout beer licenses sell up to four bottles of wine to a customer. It would allow wine sales in licensed restaurants, bars, hotels, supermarkets and delis.

House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana, said he saw the bill as a step toward liquor privatization that would produce about $150 million in new revenue for the cash-strapped state government.

"We think this puts wine into the private sector like consumers have been looking for for years," Reed told reporters. "There are certainly other components to it that will help modernize the system, but overall we view this as the first step to fully privatizing our liquor system in Pennsylvania."

It wouldn't affect sales of hard liquor or result in closure of Pennsylvania's roughly 600 state-owned stores, but the head of the union that represents state store clerks said it would undermine the finances of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

"We're opposed to it and think it's crazy that we would do this," said Wendell Young IV, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776. "Of course, we're used to crazies in the Republican Party but we're not used to Democrats joining the crazies. There must be some sort of virus in the building."

The only member who voted against the bill in the Rules Committee, Democratic Rep. Rosita Youngblood of Philadelphia, said she was concerned about the expansion of alcohol sales at stores in the city.

House Democratic spokesman Bill Patton said he expected considerable support within his caucus and that the bill was likely to pass.

"This is a product of bipartisan work over many months," Patton said. "Making the sale of alcohol more convenient has always been a goal of ours."

In December, the measure passed the Senate 29-21 with two Democrats supporting it and four Republicans voting against it. At that time Wolf was in support. His spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Supporters have said supermarkets and big-box retail stores would likely purchase takeout licenses from current holders or the state. The proposal also would give state-owned stores more latitude about hours and what products they stock.

Another provision would let casinos serve alcohol around the clock, instead of just for 19 hours in a day under current law. Wineries would be allowed to send products directly to Pennsylvania customers