110 HR 4453 IH: Underage Drinking Prevention Act of U.S. House of Representatives 2007-12-11 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I 110th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4453 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 11, 2007 Mr. Towns (for himself, Mr. Whitfield, Ms. Berkley, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Porter, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Wynn, and Mr. Gordon of Tennessee) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To establish a grant to increase enforcement of laws to prohibit underage drinking through social sources, to improve reporting of Federal underage drinking data, to establish grants to increase parental involvement in school-based efforts to reduce underage drinking, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Underage Drinking Prevention Act of 2007.

2.

Findings

The Congress finds as follows: (1)While underage drinking has been on the decline for more than 20 years, the consumption of beverage alcohol by underage youth is an ongoing national concern. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 10.8 million Americans between the ages of 12 to 20 for whom alcohol is illegal report current alcohol use, approximately 28 percent of that age group. (2)Data from the National Academy of Sciences/Institute of Medicine, the Federal Trade Commission, the Century Council and the American Medical Association show that most youth who drink obtain alcohol primarily through noncommercial sources, such as family and friends. (3)According to research conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited (TRU) for the Century Council, 10–18 year olds say parents and school teachers should begin discussing the dangers and consequences of underage drinking with children by age 11. (4)The role of parents in reducing underage drinking, particularly among middle-school aged children, is critical. Numerous studies confirm the crucial role parents play in shaping the behavior and decisionmaking skills of their children. For example, a study reported in Health Education and Behavior, February 2001, suggests that parental involvement is associated with a 67 percent less likelihood of drinking. (5)The Surgeon General’s 2007 Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking recognizes that significant social transitions, such as moving from elementary school to middle school or from middle school to high school may increase the likelihood that adolescents will use alcohol, in part because they increase adolescent stress levels. Additionally, evidence shows that youth who spend more time engaged in volunteering, sports, music, academics and leadership are less likely to engage in risky behaviors, such as alcohol use. (6)According to a 2004 study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, Adults’ Approval and Adolescents’ Alcohol Use, one in five teens reported drinking alcohol that was provided by a parent or a friend’s parent at a party. Additionally, researchers found that such provision of alcohol significantly increased the likelihood of regular and binge drinking. (7)A 2003 report submitted to Congress by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine recommended that underage drinking cannot be successfully addressed by focusing on youth alone. Two out of three teens (aged 13 to 18) said it is easy to get alcohol from their homes without their parents knowing it. Thirty-three percent of teens responded that it is easy to obtain alcohol from their own parents (knowingly); this increases to 40 percent when it is from a friend’s parent. (8)The Surgeon General’s 2007 Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking supports holding adults accountable for underage drinking at house parties, even when those adults are not at home. (9)In nearly 20 States, legislatures are considering bills to increase penalties for adults who provide alcohol to people under the age of 21. Those penalties include higher fines, driver’s license suspensions and even jail. (10)The Surgeon General’s 2007 Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking includes the need for complete and timely information on patterns and trends in youth alcohol consumption in order to develop and evaluate prevention strategies. Additionally, reports from the General Accounting Office and the Department of Health and Human Services demonstrate the need for better data collection and effective evaluation of on-going programs.

3.

Sense of the Congress

It is the sense of the Congress that: (1)Understanding which programs are effective in reducing underage drinking will maximize scarce Federal resources and help the nation confront underage drinking in a more effective and cost-efficient manner and enable local communities to implement the most effective tactics to reduce underage drinking. (2)Evaluation is necessary. Therefore the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration should explore ways to expand and improve evaluation efforts while preserving and continuing current programs and funding in the interest of achieving maximum effectiveness. (3)The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration should continue to improve evaluation efforts and national outcome measures (NOMS) reporting in the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant and other grant programs, when appropriate. (4)Federal agencies should strive to evaluate all federally funded underage drinking programs and modify programs as needed to reach maximum effectiveness in reducing underage drinking.

4.

Enforcement and public education grants to reduce social sources of underage drinking

(a)

Purposes

The purposes of this section are to— (1)increase enforcement of underage drinking that occurs at house parties across the nation and instances of adults providing alcohol to people under age 21; (2)inform the public of the legal consequences of providing alcohol to people under the minimum drinking age of 21; (3)educate the public that the majority of people who drink underage are obtaining their alcohol from social sources such as family and friends; and (4)enhance, not supplant, effective local community initiatives for enforcing underage drinking laws. (b)

Authorization of program

(1)

In general

The Director of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Programs (in this section referred to as the Director) shall award grants to States and units of local government to implement and evaluate enforcement and public education programs aimed at reducing the provision of alcohol by social sources to underage drinkers as part of the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Program. (2)

Supplement, not supplant

Funds provided under this section shall be used to supplement and not supplant funds expended for existing programs related to the prevention of underage drinking and the enforcement of underage drinking laws. (c)

Eligibility

To be eligible to receive a grant under subsection (a), a State or unit of local government, or a consortia of States or such units, shall prepare and submit to the Director an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require, which shall include— (1)a description of the activities to be carried out under the grant; and (2)an assurance that the applicant will evaluate its program and submit a report to the Director concerning the effectiveness of the programs and activities carried out under the grant. (d)

Uses of funds

Each State or unit of local government that receives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds to carry out the activities described in the application submitted by such State or unit under subsection (c). (e)

Administrative expenses

Not more than 6 percent of a grant awarded under this section may be expended for administrative expenses. (f)

Definition

In this section, the term social source means a noncommercial individual (including family members, friends or other individuals) who intentionally provide or serve alcohol to underage drinkers or knowingly allow underage drinking to occur on property they own, lease or otherwise control (recognizing that State laws do provide exceptions for some individuals under certain circumstances). (g)

Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 and 2009, and such sums as may be necessary for each subsequent fiscal year.

5.

Improved data collection and reporting

(a)

In general

The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in his role as Chair of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking authorized in section 519B(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb–25b(c)), shall work with members of such Committee to improve Federal collection of data related to underage drinking by ensuring that federally funded surveys related to underage drinking collect and report data in a consistent manner to accurately reflect underage drinking that allows users of such data to— (1)compare the results of surveys conducted and reports issued by various entities; and (2)isolate such data with respect to the demographic category of individuals who are under the age of 21. (b)

Establishment of Federal data collection improvement committee

(1)

In general

The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in his role as Chair of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking, shall establish a Federal data improvement committee with representatives from each member of the Interagency Coordinating Committee. (2)

Committee tasks

In working to improve Federal data collection on underage drinking, the Federal data improvement committee under paragraph (1) shall undertake the following efforts in addition to any other tasks requested by the Secretary: (A)The committee shall review ways to preserve trend data while simultaneously increasing the consistency of data collection. (B)The Committee shall review all Federal data collected on underage drinking and ensure that all data collected allows for the demographic breakdown of data related to individuals who are under the age of 21. (C)The Committee shall review State data that is made available from research conducted or supported by States, that is gathered in whole or in part with the use of Federal funds to ensure timely reporting and publishing of State data on underage drinking. (D)The Committee shall establish short-term and long-term goals with respect to improving Federal data collection not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act. (E)The Committee shall consult with States, public and private entities (including institutions of higher education), public health and consumer organizations, the beverage alcohol industry, and other users of Federal data on underage drinking with respect to the use of such Federal data and recommendations for improvements to the collection and reporting of such Federal data.

6.

Grants to increase parental involvement in school-based efforts to prevent underage drinking

(a)

Authorization of program

(1)

In general

The Secretary of Education shall award grants on a competitive basis to local educational agencies to develop and implement innovative and effective programs to increase parental awareness and involvement in reducing underage drinking in elementary and secondary schools. (2)

Supplement, not supplant

Funds provided under this section shall be used to supplement and not supplant funds expended for the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (b)

Eligibility

To be eligible to receive a grant under subsection (a), a local educational agency shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. Such application shall include— (1)a description of the activities to be carried out under the grant; (2)an assurance that such activities will meet the principles of effectiveness described in section 4115 of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (20 U.S.C. 7115); and (3)an assurance that the applicant will evaluate its program and submit a report to the Secretary concerning the effectiveness of the programs and activities carried out under the grant. (c)

Highlight existing effective programs

The Secretary shall identify existing, effective, national programs that increase interaction between parents and children to prevent underage drinking, and shall disseminate information on those programs to local educational agencies as model programs for replication at the local level. (d)

Administrative expenses

Not more than 6 percent of a grant awarded under this section may be expended for administrative expenses. (e)

Authorization of Appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 and 2009, and such sums as may be necessary for each subsequent fiscal year.