On December 6, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, the Sober Truth on Preventing (STOP) Underage Drinking Act (H.R. 864) after adopting a substitute amendment by Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) that made technical corrections to the bill. The House approved the bill on November 14 (see The Source, 11/17/06). The House approved, by voice vote, the Senate amendments on December 7. The president is expected to sign the bill into law.
Sponsored by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), the bill authorizes $1 million for FY2007-2010 to establish an interagency coordinating committee to guide federal policy and program development on underage drinking; requires the secretary of Health and Human Services to issue an annual report card to rate the performance of each state in enacting and enforcing laws to prevent or reduce underage drinking; authorizes $5 million for FY2007-2010 for grants to reduce the rate of underage alcohol use and binge drinking at institutions of higher education; authorizes $1 million for FY2007-2010 for a national media campaign to prevent underage drinking; and authorizes $6 million for FY2007-2010 to research and compile data on underage drinking, including successful treatment programs for youth. The bill also requires the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to award grants to design, test, evaluate, and disseminate strategies to maximize the effectiveness of community-wide approaches to preventing and reducing underage drinking.
“The STOP Act is a result of an enormous commitment to the future well-being of our children by a bipartisan coalition of Democrats and Republicans from both Houses who have worked in partnership with our public health advocacy groups and the alcohol beverage industry,” said Rep. Roybal-Allard. She continued, saying, “Three weeks ago, this House overwhelmingly passed H.R. 864. Last night the Senate unanimously passed this bill with an offset and language that addresses some of the technical concerns of our Senate and House colleagues…The bill makes permanent the national anti-underage drinking media campaign directed at parents. It authorizes research to find effective strategies to deter childhood drinking, as well as makes grants available for communities and colleges to address this crisis…This effort shows what can be accomplished when we put our differences aside and work together for the future of our children. I ask my colleagues in this House to join me and the sponsors of this bill in passing it today so that we can successfully address underage drinking and turn this tragedy into a public health success story. “
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) said, “By passing the STOP Act, Congress has the opportunity to say here, enough. Enough to looking the other way when it comes to increasing problems of underage drinking. Enough of simply accepting that the average age that the kids start drinking is 13; that 7 million young people describe themselves as binge drinkers; and above all, we say enough to alcohol playing a role in the three leading causes of death among young people. It is time we do something about everyday young people engaging in behavior that leads to alcoholism….The STOP Act will increase resources for drinking prevention coalitions like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which we know already have a positive impact on teenagers. It will fund additional research and create a committee that delivers a report card on the progress we are or are not making, and it will review alcohol advertisements targeted toward young people. And lastly the STOP Act would help us fund a national media campaign directed at adults. Too often parents ignore signs in their own children. They refuse to believe their own child could have a problem, and we need to turn that around…As a Member of Congress, as someone who has lost a loved one in a drunk driving accident, it is time that Congress spoke clearly and decisively about reducing underage drinking in our communities. With this bill, we can and we will.”
