[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 674 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 674

    To require health warnings to be included in alcoholic beverage 
                advertisements, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

               March 30 (legislative day, March 3), 1993

Mr. Thurmond (for himself and Mr. Simon) introduced the following bill; 
    which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To require health warnings to be included in alcoholic beverage 
                advertisements, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Sensible Advertising and Family 
Education Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Alcohol is by far the drug most widely used and abused 
        by young people in the United States today, even though it is 
        illegal for youths under age 21 to purchase alcohol in all 50 
        of the States and the District of Columbia.
            (2) According to the 1992 National Institute on Drug Abuse 
        survey of high school students and young adults, 89.5 percent 
        of high school seniors in the class of 1990 had used alcohol at 
        least once and 30 percent had experienced a ``binge'' of 5 or 
        more drinks in a row within the past 2 weeks. Among college 
        students, 43 percent reported occasions of binge drinking, 
        including 35 percent of the females and 52 percent of the 
        males.
            (3) The average age at which young people begin drinking is 
        13. By age 13, approximately 30 percent of boys and 22 percent 
        of girls classify themselves as drinkers. According to the 1988 
        National High School Senior Survey, 17 percent of high school 
        seniors reported having been drunk by eighth grade, 37 percent 
        by ninth grade, 54 percent by tenth grade, and 71 percent by 
        twelfth grade. Studies demonstrate that the use of alcohol by 
        individuals before the age of 15 appears to be one of the 
        predictors of later heavy alcohol and other drug use by the 
        individuals.
            (4) Young people are not well informed about the hazards of 
        alcohol use. Only 43 percent of high school seniors believe 
        there is great risk of harm from drinking activities such as 
        binge drinking once or twice each weekend. More than one-
        quarter of high school seniors do not view heavy, regular daily 
        binge drinking as entailing great risk. More than 40 percent of 
        eighth graders, 45 percent of tenth graders, and 51 percent of 
        twelfth graders do not perceive having 5 or more drinks once or 
        twice a weekend as entailing a great risk.
            (5) According to the Department of Health and Human 
        Services, sponsorships and promotions on college campuses by 
        alcohol producers and the use of celebrities and youth-oriented 
        musical groups in advertising create a pro-drinking 
        environment.
            (6) Treatment costs for fetal alcohol syndrome (referred to 
        in this section as ``FAS'') and other alcohol-related birth 
        defects in the United States are estimated at nearly a third of 
        a billion dollars. FAS is one of the top three known causes of 
        birth defects with accompanying mental retardation, and the 
        only known preventable cause among the top three. Among 
        children born to women who drink heavily, the incidence of FAS 
        may be as high as 25 infants with the syndrome per 1,000 live 
        births. Among children born to other women, the FAS incidence 
        is between 1 and 3 infants with the syndrome per 1,000 live 
        births. The incidence of other alcohol-related birth defects is 
        estimated to be 3 times greater than that of FAS.
            (7) According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse 
        and Alcoholism, an estimated 18,000,000 persons in the United 
        States who are 18 or older currently experience problems as a 
        result of alcohol use. An estimated 4,500,000 young people are 
        dependant on alcohol or are problem drinkers.
            (8) According to Healthy People 2000, the National Health 
        Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives--
                    (A) nearly one-half of all deaths from motor 
                vehicle crashes are alcohol-related;
                    (B) alcohol is implicated in nearly one-half of all 
                fatal intentional injuries such as suicides and 
                homicides; and
                    (C) victims are intoxicated in approximately one-
                third of all homicides, drownings, and boating deaths.
            (9) An estimated 25 percent of all hospitalized persons 
        have alcohol-related problems.
            (10) Alcohol advertising, especially in the broadcast 
        media, represents the single greatest source of alcohol 
        education for persons in the United States. According to a 1990 
        study of 10- to 13-year-olds, funded by the American Automobile 
        Association Foundation for Traffic Safety, there is a 
        relationship between exposure and attention by an individual to 
        beer advertising, and expectations that the individual drink as 
        an adult.
            (11) A major 1981 federally funded study found a 
        significant relationship between--
                    (A) exposure of individuals to alcoholic beverage 
                advertising as youth; and
                    (B) drinking behaviors and attitudes of the 
                individuals that can lead to certain forms of problem 
                drinking.
            (12) Over 80 percent of 2,000 adults surveyed in 1988 for 
        the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms by the Opinion 
        Research Corporation believe that alcohol advertising 
        influences underage youth to drink alcoholic beverages. The 
        survey also found that the general public feels that the young 
        people of the United States constitute the group that is most 
        at risk from drinking alcoholic beverages.
            (13) The alcoholic beverage industry spends approximately 
        $2,000,000,000 each year on advertising and promotions in the 
        United States.
            (14) The 1988 Surgeon General's Workshop on Drunk Driving 
        has recommended--
                    (A) that the level of alcoholic beverage 
                advertising be matched with an equal number of pro-
                health and pro-safety messages; and
                    (B) the inclusion of health warning messages in all 
                alcohol advertising.
            (15) The National Commission on Drug-Free Schools' 
        September 1990 Final Report, ``Toward a Drug-Free Generation: A 
        Nation's Responsibility'', recommends that Congress--
                    (A) require additional health and safety messages 
                on all alcohol products and advertising for the 
                products; and
                    (B) consider enacting a ban on advertising and 
                promotion of alcohol if alcohol advertising still 
                targets youth and glamorizes alcohol use.
            (16) Over two-thirds of persons surveyed in a 1989 Wall 
        Street Journal poll favor requiring warnings about the dangers 
        of drinking both on alcoholic beverage containers and in 
        alcohol advertisements. Nearly three-fourths of persons 
        surveyed in a 1990 Gallup Poll favor requiring health warning 
        messages in alcohol advertising.
            (17) Alcohol in combination with other drugs is the leading 
        cause of emergency room drug abuse episodes.
            (18) According to the Inspector General of the Department 
        of Health and Human Services, the average binge drinker is a 
        16-year-old male in the tenth grade who was 12 years old when 
        he took his first drink.
            (19) A third of all students do not understand the 
        intoxicating effects of alcohol. More than 2,600,000 students 
        do not know a person can die from an overdose of alcohol. A 
        projected 259,000 students think that wine coolers or beer 
        cannot get a person drunk, cannot make a person sick, or cannot 
        do as much harm as other alcoholic beverages.
            (20) In 1989, chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis, 
        was the ninth leading cause of death in the United States. Of 
        41,000 deaths attributed to liver disease in the United States, 
        46 percent were diagnostically associated with alcohol. Heavy 
        alcohol use is considered the most important risk factor for 
        chronic liver disease. Even among liver disease deaths not 
        coded as alcohol-related, approximately 50 percent are thought 
        to be due to alcohol use.
            (21) Between 5 and 24 percent of hypertension cases are 
        associated with alcohol. Many cases diagnosed as essential 
        hypertension (high blood pressure having no known causes) may 
        actually have chronic alcohol ingestion as their cause.
            (22) Alcohol abuse is strongly associated with increased 
        risk of certain kinds of cancer, especially cancer of the 
        liver, esophagus, nasopharynx, and larynx. Alcohol is also 
        associated with dietary deficiency that may increase cancer 
        risk.

SEC. 3. HEALTH WARNINGS.

    (a) In General.--On and after the expiration of the 6-month period 
following the date of enactment of this Act, it shall be an unfair or 
deceptive act or practice in commerce under section 5 of the Federal 
Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 45) for any person to--
            (1) advertise, or cause to be advertised, through 
        magazines, newspapers, brochures, and promotional displays 
        within the United States any alcoholic beverage unless the 
        advertising bears, in accordance with requirements of section 
        4(a), one of the following health warnings:
                ``SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: If you are pregnant, don't 
                drink. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy may cause 
                mental retardation and other birth defects. Avoid 
                alcohol during pregnancy. If you are pregnant and can't 
                stop drinking, call [insert appropriate toll free 
                number].
                ``SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: If you are under the age 
                of 21, it's against the law to buy alcoholic beverages. 
                For information about teenagers and young adults and 
                drinking, call [insert appropriate toll free number].
                ``SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Alcohol is a drug and may 
                be addictive. If you know someone who has an alcohol or 
                other drug problem or has trouble controlling their 
                drinking, call [insert appropriate toll free number].
                ``SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Drive sober. If you don't, 
                you could lose your driver's license. Alcohol impairs 
                your ability to drive a car or operate machinery. If 
                you or people you love drink and drive, call [insert 
                appropriate toll free number].
                ``SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Don't mix alcohol with 
                over-the-counter, prescription, or illicit drugs. For 
                more information call [insert appropriate toll free 
                number].
                ``SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: If you drink too much 
                alcohol too fast, you can die. You can be poisoned by 
                alcohol if you drink [insert number of drinks] in 
                [insert time]. To find out more about alcohol poisoning 
                call [insert appropriate toll free number].
                ``SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Drinking increases your 
                risks of high blood pressure, liver disease, and 
                cancer. The more you drink, the more likely it is that 
                you will have such health problems. To find out how to 
                prevent getting such health problems call [insert 
                appropriate toll free number].''; or
            (2) advertise, or cause to be advertised, through radio or 
        television broadcasting (including cable, pay-per-view, and 
        subscription television broadcasting) any alcoholic beverage 
        unless the advertising includes, in accordance with 
        requirements of section 4(b), one of the following health 
        warnings:
                ``SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: If you are pregnant, don't 
                drink alcohol. Alcohol may cause mental retardation and 
                other birth defects.
                ``SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: If you are under the age 
                of 21, it's illegal to buy alcoholic beverages.
                ``SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Alcohol is a drug and may 
                be addictive.
                ``SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Drive sober. If you don't, 
                you could lose your driver's license.
                ``SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Don't mix alcohol with 
                over-the-counter, prescription, or illicit drugs.
                ``SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: If you drink too much 
                alcohol too fast, you can die of alcohol poisoning.
                ``SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Drinking increases your 
                risk of high blood pressure, liver disease, and 
                cancer.''.
    (b) Toll Free Numbers.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
in consultation with the Federal Trade Commission, shall be responsible 
for establishing and maintaining the toll free numbers referred to in 
the health warnings required by subsection (a)(1). The Secretary shall 
annually submit a report to Congress containing information on the 
number of calls received from persons using the numbers and the types 
of referrals made as a result of the calls.

SEC. 4. REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Use of warnings.--The health warnings required for 
        alcoholic beverage advertisements by section 3(a)(1) shall--
                    (A) comply with requirements, determined by the 
                Secretary of Health and Human Services in regulations 
                to take effect no later than 6 months after the date of 
                the enactment of this Act, that--
                            (i) one such health warning be located in a 
                        conspicuous and prominent place in each such 
                        advertisement;
                            (ii) all letters in such health warning 
                        appear in conspicuous and legible type that is 
                        not script or italic; and
                            (iii) such health warning be in contrast by 
                        typography, layout, and color with all other 
                        printed material in the advertisement, be 
                        surrounded by typographic lines that form a 
                        box, and, on an appropriate visual medium, 
                        appear on the front of an advertisement as 
                        indicated by labeling of the manufacturer or 
                        importer; and
                    (B) be rotated in an alternating sequence on each 
                advertisement of a brand style in accordance with a 
                plan submitted by such manufacturer or importer to the 
                Secretary.
            (2) Plan.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
        approve a plan submitted under paragraph (1)(B) by a 
        manufacturer or importer that assures that an equal 
        distribution of each of the health warnings is displayed on 
        each sequence of the same or a substantially similar 
        advertisement for a brand style at the same time. If the plan 
        is approved by the Secretary, the rotation described in 
        paragraph (1)(B) shall apply with respect to the applicant 
        submitting the plan during the 1-year period beginning on the 
        date of the approval.
    (b) Radio and Television.--
            (1) Use of warnings.--The health warnings required for 
        alcoholic beverage advertisements by section 3(a)(2) shall--
                    (A) comply with requirements, determined by the 
                Secretary of Health and Human Services in regulations 
                to take effect not later than 6 months after the date 
                of the enactment of this Act, that--
                            (i) one such health warning be included in 
                        a conspicuous and prominent manner in each such 
                        advertisement;
                            (ii) the health warning be read as part of 
                        the advertisement in an audible and deliberate 
                        manner and in a length of time that allows for 
                        a clear understanding of the health warning 
                        message by the intended audience; and
                            (iii) with respect to each advertisement 
                        for television--
                                    (I) a graphic representation of 
                                such health warning be included after 
                                each such advertisement;
                                    (II) all letters in such graphic 
                                representation appear in conspicuous 
                                and legible type that is not script or 
                                italic;
                                    (III) such health warning be 
                                surrounded by typographic lines that 
                                form a box in the graphic 
                                representation; and
                                    (IV) such graphic representation 
                                appear in the same length of time as is 
                                required for the reading of the message 
                                required by clause (ii); and
                    (B) be rotated in an alternating sequence on each 
                advertisement of a brand style in accordance with a 
                plan submitted by such manufacturer or importer to the 
                Secretary.
            (2) Plan.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
        approve a plan submitted under paragraph (1)(B) by a 
        manufacturer or importer that assures that an equal 
        distribution of each of the health warnings is displayed on 
        each sequence of the same or a substantially similar 
        advertisement for a brand style at the same time. If the plan 
        is approved by the Secretary, the rotation described in 
        paragraph (1)(B) shall apply with respect to the applicant 
        submitting the plan during the 1-year period beginning on the 
        date of the approval.

SEC. 5. DEFINITION.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) Alcoholic beverage.--The term ``alcoholic beverage'' 
        includes any beverage in liquid form that contains not less 
        than one-half of one percent of alcohol by volume and is 
        intended for human consumption.
            (2) Person.--The term ``person'' means--
                    (A) an individual;
                    (B) a partnership;
                    (C) a joint stock company;
                    (D) a business trust;
                    (E) an association;
                    (F) a corporation;
                    (G) any business or legal entity not described in 
                subparagraphs (A) through (F), including a receiver, 
                trustee, or liquidating agent; and
                    (H) a State, a State agency, or an officer or 
                employee of a State or State agency.
            (3) State.--The term ``State'' includes--
                    (A) any political subdivision of any State;
                    (B) the District of Columbia;
                    (C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
                    (D) the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
                Islands;
                    (E) Guam;
                    (F) the Virgin Islands;
                    (G) American Samoa;
                    (H) Wake Island;
                    (I) the Midway Islands;
                    (J) Kingman Reef; and
                    (K) Johnston Island.
            (4) United states.--The term ``United States'', when used 
        in a geographical sense, includes all States.

SEC. 6. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

    (a) Investigation.--Not earlier than 2 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
conduct an appropriate investigation and consult with the Surgeon 
General to determine whether available scientific information would 
justify a change in, an addition to, or deletion of, a health warning 
set forth in section 3.
    (b) Report.--If the Secretary of Health and Human Services finds 
that available scientific information would justify the change, 
addition, or deletion described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall 
promptly submit a report to the appropriate committees of Congress 
containing--
            (1) the information; and
            (2) specific recommendations for such amendments to this 
        Act as the Secretary determines to be appropriate and in the 
        public interest.

                                 <all>

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