Dewine,
Dodd Introduce Bill to Prevent Underage Drinking
Press Release
U.S. Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH)
U.S. Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT)
U.S. Senators Mike DeWine (R-OH) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) today introduced
the Sober Truth on Preventing (STOP) Underage Drinking Act designed
to prevent the spread of underage drinking. The bill would coordinate
efforts at the federal level, authorize an national adult-oriented
media campaign against underage drinking, provide grants to prevention
programs, and increase research and data collection on underage
drinking.
"Children in America have ready access to alcohol and it is
extremely troubling," said Senator DeWine. "Alcohol plays
a major role in the leading causes of death in our youth and it
may have an adverse effect on brain development. We must educate
our children, as well as adults, on the potential dangers of underage
alcohol consumption."
"The road to adulthood isn't an easy one, but when it comes
to alcohol and children, it's a dead-end street," said Dodd.
"This measure will -- for the first time -- help lead a national
effort to combat underage drinking."
The bill has four major areas of underage drinking policy development.
The first would provide $2 million to create an Interagency Coordinating
Committee to coordinate the efforts and expertise of various federal
agencies to combat underage drinking. It would also mandate an annual
report to Congress from the Committee on their efforts to prevent
underage drinking and require an annual report card from the Department
of Health and Human Services on efforts at the state level to combat
underage drinking.
Given that most children and underage youth who drink obtain the
alcohol from their parents or another adult, the bill would also
authorize a national media campaign directed at adults. According
to the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, for every one advertisement
the alcohol industry runs to discourage underage alcohol use, 609
advertisements are run promoting alcohol use. The Ad Council received
$800,000 last year to begin this campaign and this legislation would
authorize $1 million.
The third section would provide $5 million in enhancement grants
to the Drug Free Communities program to be directed at the problem
of underage drinking. A new program would be created to provide
competitive grants to states, non-profits, and institutions of higher
education to create statewide coalitions to prevent underage drinking
and alcohol abuse by university students, which would also be funded
at $5 million annually.
Finally, the bill would provide $6 million to increase research
and data collection at the federal level on underage drinking conducted.
This information would include the types and brands of alcohol that
kids use and the short- and long-term impact of underage drinking
upon adolescent brain development.
For more information, contact Amanda Flaig [DeWine] at (202) 224-2315
or Holly Barnes [Dodd] at (202) 224-0346.
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