2008 Woodie Awards
Pa. state legislators consider liquor bills
By Rachel Seeman
Issue date: 4/8/05 Section: News
Pennsylvania legislatores are considering bills that would establish stricter laws in order to reduce the problem of underage drinking, including revoking driving licenses of adults who provide alcohol to minors.
Arizona Representative Ted Downing, who is working on similar legislation, told legislatures that another proposal would require "keg tags" that would record the names of people who buy kegs of beer. According to the April 2005 edition of State Legislatures: The Magazine, twenty-four states and the District of Columbia have already adopted keg registration laws.
"The way my legislation reads is that if you want to buy a keg, you have to show identification, fill out a form, leave a deposit and detail where the keg is going to go and for what purpose," Downing said.
Other bills will be directed toward underage drinkers and bar or restaurant owners who knowingly give alcohol to minors.
Pennsylvania State Representative Frank LaGrotta doesn't think people are aware of the magnitude of the problem of underage drinking.
"People don't realize the potential severity of this problem," he said. "We live in a culture where alcohol is accepted. As long as that appeal is out there, they will find a way (to drink)."
LaGrotta is frustrated by parents and adults who help minors break the law by providing them with alcohol, especially when they don't know if the minors are taking any kind of prescription medicine.
"(I would like to see a) much more severe ration of punishment for young people caught for drinking repeatedly," LaGrotta said.
Slippery Rock University President Robert Smith said he is unsure whether more alcohol related laws will deter underage drinkers.
"Frankly, I'm not convinced that more legislation is the answer," Smith said. "There are already laws on the books."
Smith doesn't think more laws will lessen a problem that current laws are unable to solve. According to a 2003 study of Pennsylvania youths, 28 percent of sixth-graders and 83 percent of 12th-graders have consumed alcohol. A study in California found that 70 percent of youths under age 21 obtained alcohol from adults or older siblings.Harvard University's School of Public Health told state legislatures that, "1,400 college students every year die from alcohol-related causes; 1,100 of these deaths involve drinking and driving."
Arizona Representative Ted Downing, who is working on similar legislation, told legislatures that another proposal would require "keg tags" that would record the names of people who buy kegs of beer. According to the April 2005 edition of State Legislatures: The Magazine, twenty-four states and the District of Columbia have already adopted keg registration laws.
"The way my legislation reads is that if you want to buy a keg, you have to show identification, fill out a form, leave a deposit and detail where the keg is going to go and for what purpose," Downing said.
Other bills will be directed toward underage drinkers and bar or restaurant owners who knowingly give alcohol to minors.
Pennsylvania State Representative Frank LaGrotta doesn't think people are aware of the magnitude of the problem of underage drinking.
"People don't realize the potential severity of this problem," he said. "We live in a culture where alcohol is accepted. As long as that appeal is out there, they will find a way (to drink)."
LaGrotta is frustrated by parents and adults who help minors break the law by providing them with alcohol, especially when they don't know if the minors are taking any kind of prescription medicine.
"(I would like to see a) much more severe ration of punishment for young people caught for drinking repeatedly," LaGrotta said.
Slippery Rock University President Robert Smith said he is unsure whether more alcohol related laws will deter underage drinkers.
"Frankly, I'm not convinced that more legislation is the answer," Smith said. "There are already laws on the books."
Smith doesn't think more laws will lessen a problem that current laws are unable to solve. According to a 2003 study of Pennsylvania youths, 28 percent of sixth-graders and 83 percent of 12th-graders have consumed alcohol. A study in California found that 70 percent of youths under age 21 obtained alcohol from adults or older siblings.Harvard University's School of Public Health told state legislatures that, "1,400 college students every year die from alcohol-related causes; 1,100 of these deaths involve drinking and driving."
