[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 134 (Thursday, December 7, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H8901-H8904]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SOBER TRUTH ON PREVENTING UNDERAGE DRINKING ACT
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in
the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 864) to provide for programs and
activities with respect to the prevention of underage drinking.
The Clerk read as follows:
Senate amendment:
Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Sober Truth on Preventing
Underage Drinking Act'' or the ``STOP Act''.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT.
Section 519B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
290bb-25b) is amended by striking subsections (a) through (f)
and inserting the following:
``(a) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
``(1) The term `alcohol beverage industry' means the
brewers, vintners, distillers, importers, distributors, and
retail or online outlets that sell or serve beer, wine, and
distilled spirits.
``(2) The term `school-based prevention' means programs,
which are institutionalized, and run by staff members or
school-designated persons or organizations in any grade of
school, kindergarten through 12th grade.
``(3) The term `youth' means persons under the age of 21.
``(4) The term `IOM report' means the report released in
September 2003 by the National Research Council, Institute of
Medicine, and entitled `Reducing Underage Drinking: A
Collective Responsibility'.
``(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of the Congress
that:
``(1) A multi-faceted effort is needed to more successfully
address the problem of underage drinking in the United
States. A coordinated approach to prevention, intervention,
treatment, enforcement, and research is key to making
progress. This Act recognizes the need for a focused national
effort, and addresses particulars of the Federal portion of
that effort, as well as Federal support for State activities.
``(2) The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall
continue to conduct research and collect data on the short
and long-range impact of alcohol use and abuse upon
adolescent brain development and other organ systems.
``(3) States and communities, including colleges and
universities, are encouraged to adopt comprehensive
prevention approaches, including--
``(A) evidence-based screening, programs and curricula;
``(B) brief intervention strategies;
``(C) consistent policy enforcement; and
``(D) environmental changes that limit underage access to
alcohol.
``(4) Public health groups, consumer groups, and the
alcohol beverage industry should continue and expand
evidence-based efforts to prevent and reduce underage
drinking.
``(5) The entertainment industries have a powerful impact
on youth, and they should use rating systems and marketing
codes to reduce the likelihood that underage audiences will
be exposed to movies, recordings, or television programs with
unsuitable alcohol content.
``(6) The National Collegiate Athletic Association, its
member colleges and universities, and athletic conferences
should affirm a commitment to a policy of discouraging
alcohol use among underage students and other young fans.
``(7) Alcohol is a unique product and should be regulated
differently than other products by the States and Federal
Government. States have primary authority to regulate alcohol
distribution and sale, and the Federal Government should
support and supplement these State efforts. States also have
a responsibility to fight youth access to alcohol and reduce
underage drinking. Continued State regulation and licensing
of the manufacture, importation, sale, distribution,
transportation and storage of alcoholic beverages are clearly
in the public interest and are critical to promoting
responsible consumption, preventing illegal access to alcohol
by persons under 21 years of age from commercial and non-
commercial sources, maintaining industry integrity and an
orderly marketplace, and furthering effective State tax
collection.
``(c) Interagency Coordinating Committee; Annual Report on
State Underage Drinking Prevention and Enforcement
Activities.--
``(1) Interagency coordinating committee on the prevention
of underage drinking.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary, in collaboration with the
Federal officials specified in subparagraph (B), shall
formally establish and enhance the efforts of the interagency
coordinating committee, that began operating in 2004,
focusing on underage drinking (referred to in this subsection
as the `Committee').
``(B) Other agencies.--The officials referred to in
paragraph (1) are the Secretary of Education, the Attorney
General, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of
the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, the Surgeon General,
the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the Director of the National Institute on Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism, the Administrator of the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Director
of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Assistant
Secretary for Children and Families, the Director of the
Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Administrator of
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the
Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention, the Chairman of the Federal Trade
Commission, and such other Federal officials as the Secretary
of Health and Human Services determines to be appropriate.
``(C) Chair.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services
shall serve as the chair of the Committee.
``(D) Duties.--The Committee shall guide policy and program
development across the Federal Government with respect to
underage drinking, provided, however, that nothing in this
section shall be construed as transferring regulatory or
program authority from an Agency to the Coordinating
Committee.
``(E) Consultations.--The Committee shall actively seek the
input of and shall consult with all appropriate and
interested parties, including States, public health research
and interest groups, foundations, and alcohol beverage
industry trade associations and companies.
``(F) Annual report.--
``(i) In general.--The Secretary, on behalf of the
Committee, shall annually submit to the Congress a report
that summarizes--
``(I) all programs and policies of Federal agencies
designed to prevent and reduce underage drinking;
``(II) the extent of progress in preventing and reducing
underage drinking nationally;
``(III) data that the Secretary shall collect with respect
to the information specified in clause (ii); and
``(IV) such other information regarding underage drinking
as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
``(ii) Certain information.--The report under clause (i)
shall include information on the following:
``(I) Patterns and consequences of underage drinking as
reported in research and surveys such as, but not limited to
Monitoring the Future, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
System, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and the
Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
``(II) Measures of the availability of alcohol from
commercial and non-commercial sources to underage
populations.
``(III) Measures of the exposure of underage populations to
messages regarding alcohol in advertising and the
entertainment media as reported by the Federal Trade
Commission.
[[Page H8902]]
``(IV) Surveillance data, including information on the
onset and prevalence of underage drinking, consumption
patterns and the means of underage access. The Secretary
shall develop a plan to improve the collection, measurement
and consistency of reporting Federal underage alcohol data.
``(V) Any additional findings resulting from research
conducted or supported under subsection (f).
``(VI) Evidence-based best practices to prevent and reduce
underage drinking and provide treatment services to those
youth who need them.
``(2) Annual report on state underage drinking prevention
and enforcement activities.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall, with input and
collaboration from other appropriate Federal agencies,
States, Indian tribes, territories, and public health,
consumer, and alcohol beverage industry groups, annually
issue a report on each State's performance in enacting,
enforcing, and creating laws, regulations, and programs to
prevent or reduce underage drinking.
``(B) State performance measures.--
``(i) In general.--The Secretary shall develop, in
consultation with the Committee, a set of measures to be used
in preparing the report on best practices.
``(ii) Categories.--In developing these measures, the
Secretary shall consider categories including, but not
limited to:
``(I) Whether or not the State has comprehensive anti-
underage drinking laws such as for the illegal sale,
purchase, attempt to purchase, consumption, or possession of
alcohol; illegal use of fraudulent ID; illegal furnishing or
obtaining of alcohol for an individual under 21 years; the
degree of strictness of the penalties for such offenses; and
the prevalence of the enforcement of each of these
infractions.
``(II) Whether or not the State has comprehensive liability
statutes pertaining to underage access to alcohol such as
dram shop, social host, and house party laws, and the
prevalence of enforcement of each of these laws.
``(III) Whether or not the State encourages and conducts
comprehensive enforcement efforts to prevent underage access
to alcohol at retail outlets, such as random compliance
checks and shoulder tap programs, and the number of
compliance checks within alcohol retail outlets measured
against the number of total alcohol retail outlets in each
State, and the result of such checks.
``(IV) Whether or not the State encourages training on the
proper selling and serving of alcohol for all sellers and
servers of alcohol as a condition of employment.
``(V) Whether or not the State has policies and regulations
with regard to direct sales to consumers and home delivery of
alcoholic beverages.
``(VI) Whether or not the State has programs or laws to
deter adults from purchasing alcohol for minors; and the
number of adults targeted by these programs.
``(VII) Whether or not the State has programs targeted to
youths, parents, and caregivers to deter underage drinking;
and the number of individuals served by these programs.
``(VIII) Whether or not the State has enacted graduated
drivers licenses and the extent of those provisions.
``(IX) The amount that the State invests, per youth capita,
on the prevention of underage drinking, further broken down
by the amount spent on--
``(aa) compliance check programs in retail outlets,
including providing technology to prevent and detect the use
of false identification by minors to make alcohol purchases;
``(bb) checkpoints and saturation patrols that include the
goal of reducing and deterring underage drinking;
``(cc) community-based, school-based, and higher-education-
based programs to prevent underage drinking;
``(dd) underage drinking prevention programs that target
youth within the juvenile justice and child welfare systems;
and
``(ee) other State efforts or programs as deemed
appropriate.
``(3) Authorization of appropriations.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection
$1,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, and $1,000,000 for each of
the fiscal years 2008 through 2010.
``(d) National Media Campaign To Prevent Underage
Drinking.--
``(1) Scope of the campaign.--The Secretary shall continue
to fund and oversee the production, broadcasting, and
evaluation of the national adult-oriented media public
service campaign if the Secretary determines that such
campaign is effective in achieving the media campaign's
measurable objectives.
``(2) Report.--The Secretary shall provide a report to the
Congress annually detailing the production, broadcasting, and
evaluation of the campaign referred to in paragraph (1), and
to detail in the report the effectiveness of the campaign in
reducing underage drinking, the need for and likely
effectiveness of an expanded adult-oriented media campaign,
and the feasibility and the likely effectiveness of a
national youth-focused media campaign to combat underage
drinking.
``(3) Consultation requirement.--In carrying out the media
campaign, the Secretary shall direct the entity carrying out
the national adult-oriented media public service campaign to
consult with interested parties including both the alcohol
beverage industry and public health and consumer groups. The
progress of this consultative process is to be covered in the
report under paragraph (2).
``(4) Authorization of appropriations.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection,
$1,000,000 for fiscal year 2007 and $1,000,000 for each of
the fiscal years 2008 through 2010.
``(e) Interventions.--
``(1) Community-based coalition enhancement grants to
prevent underage drinking.--
``(A) Authorization of program.--The Administrator of the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in
consultation with the Director of the Office of National Drug
Control Policy, shall award, if the Administrator determines
that the Department of Health and Human Services is not
currently conducting activities that duplicate activities of
the type described in this subsection, `enhancement grants'
to eligible entities to design, test, evaluate and
disseminate effective strategies to maximize the
effectiveness of community-wide approaches to preventing and
reducing underage drinking. This subsection is subject to the
availability of appropriations.
``(B) Purposes.--The purposes of this paragraph are to--
``(i) prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth in
communities throughout the United States;
``(ii) strengthen collaboration among communities, the
Federal Government, and State, local, and tribal governments;
``(iii) enhance intergovernmental cooperation and
coordination on the issue of alcohol use among youth;
``(iv) serve as a catalyst for increased citizen
participation and greater collaboration among all sectors and
organizations of a community that first demonstrates a long-
term commitment to reducing alcohol use among youth;
``(v) disseminate to communities timely information
regarding state-of-the-art practices and initiatives that
have proven to be effective in preventing and reducing
alcohol use among youth; and
``(vi) enhance, not supplant, effective local community
initiatives for preventing and reducing alcohol use among
youth.
``(C) Application.--An eligible entity desiring an
enhancement grant under this paragraph shall submit an
application to the Administrator at such time, and in such
manner, and accompanied by such information as the
Administrator may require. Each application shall include--
``(i) a complete description of the entity's current
underage alcohol use prevention initiatives and how the grant
will appropriately enhance the focus on underage drinking
issues; or
``(ii) a complete description of the entity's current
initiatives, and how it will use this grant to enhance those
initiatives by adding a focus on underage drinking
prevention.
``(D) Uses of funds.--Each eligible entity that receives a
grant under this paragraph shall use the grant funds to carry
out the activities described in such entity's application
submitted pursuant to subparagraph (C). Grants under this
paragraph shall not exceed $50,000 per year and may not
exceed four years.
``(E) Supplement not supplant.--Grant funds provided under
this paragraph shall be used to supplement, not supplant,
Federal and non-Federal funds available for carrying out the
activities described in this paragraph.
``(F) Evaluation.--Grants under this paragraph shall be
subject to the same evaluation requirements and procedures as
the evaluation requirements and procedures imposed on
recipients of drug free community grants.
``(G) Definitions.--For purposes of this paragraph, the
term `eligible entity' means an organization that is
currently receiving or has received grant funds under the
Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997 (21 U.S.C. 1521 et seq.).
``(H) Administrative expenses.--Not more than 6 percent of
a grant under this paragraph may be expended for
administrative expenses.
``(I) Authorization of appropriations.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this paragraph
$5,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, and $5,000,000 for each of
the fiscal years 2008 through 2010.
``(2) Grants directed at preventing and reducing alcohol
abuse at institutions of higher education.--
``(A) Authorization of program.--The Secretary shall award
grants to eligible entities to enable the entities to prevent
and reduce the rate of underage alcohol consumption including
binge drinking among students at institutions of higher
education.
``(B) Applications.--An eligible entity that desires to
receive a grant under this paragraph shall submit an
application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner,
and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may
require. Each application shall include--
``(i) a description of how the eligible entity will work to
enhance an existing, or where none exists to build a,
statewide coalition;
``(ii) a description of how the eligible entity will target
underage students in the State;
``(iii) a description of how the eligible entity intends to
ensure that the statewide coalition is actually implementing
the purpose of this section and moving toward indicators
described in subparagraph (D);
``(iv) a list of the members of the statewide coalition or
interested parties involved in the work of the eligible
entity;
``(v) a description of how the eligible entity intends to
work with State agencies on substance abuse prevention and
education;
``(vi) the anticipated impact of funds provided under this
paragraph in preventing and reducing the rates of underage
alcohol use;
``(vii) outreach strategies, including ways in which the
eligible entity proposes to--
``(I) reach out to students and community stakeholders;
``(II) promote the purpose of this paragraph;
``(III) address the range of needs of the students and the
surrounding communities; and
``(IV) address community norms for underage students
regarding alcohol use; and
``(viii) such additional information as required by the
Secretary.
[[Page H8903]]
``(C) Uses of funds.--Each eligible entity that receives a
grant under this paragraph shall use the grant funds to carry
out the activities described in such entity's application
submitted pursuant to subparagraph (B).
``(D) Accountability.--On the date on which the Secretary
first publishes a notice in the Federal Register soliciting
applications for grants under this paragraph, the Secretary
shall include in the notice achievement indicators for the
program authorized under this paragraph. The achievement
indicators shall be designed--
``(i) to measure the impact that the statewide coalitions
assisted under this paragraph are having on the institutions
of higher education and the surrounding communities,
including changes in the number of incidents of any kind in
which students have abused alcohol or consumed alcohol while
under the age of 21 (including violations, physical assaults,
sexual assaults, reports of intimidation, disruptions of
school functions, disruptions of student studies, mental
health referrals, illnesses, or deaths);
``(ii) to measure the quality and accessibility of the
programs or information offered by the eligible entity; and
``(iii) to provide such other measures of program impact as
the Secretary determines appropriate.
``(E) Supplement not supplant.--Grant funds provided under
this paragraph shall be used to supplement, and not supplant,
Federal and non-Federal funds available for carrying out the
activities described in this paragraph.
``(F) Definitions.--For purposes of this paragraph:
``(i) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means a
State, institution of higher education, or nonprofit entity.
``(ii) Institution of higher education.--The term
`institution of higher education' has the meaning given the
term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
``(iii) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the
Secretary of Education.
``(iv) State.--The term `State' means each of the 50
States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico.
``(v) Statewide coalition.--The term `statewide coalition'
means a coalition that--
``(I) includes, but is not limited to--
``(aa) institutions of higher education within a State; and
``(bb) a nonprofit group, a community underage drinking
prevention coalition, or another substance abuse prevention
group within a State; and
``(II) works toward lowering the alcohol abuse rate by
targeting underage students at institutions of higher
education throughout the State and in the surrounding
communities.
``(vi) Surrounding community.--The term `surrounding
community' means the community--
``(I) that surrounds an institution of higher education
participating in a statewide coalition;
``(II) where the students from the institution of higher
education take part in the community; and
``(III) where students from the institution of higher
education live in off-campus housing.
``(G) Administrative expenses.--Not more than 5 percent of
a grant under this paragraph may be expended for
administrative expenses.
``(H) Authorization of appropriations.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this paragraph
$5,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, and $5,000,000 for each of
the fiscal years 2008 through 2010.
``(f) Additional Research.--
``(1) Additional research on underage drinking.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall, subject to the
availability of appropriations, collect data, and conduct or
support research that is not duplicative of research
currently being conducted or supported by the Department of
Health and Human Services, on underage drinking, with respect
to the following:
``(i) Comprehensive community-based programs or strategies
and statewide systems to prevent and reduce underage
drinking, across the underage years from early childhood to
age 21, including programs funded and implemented by
government entities, public health interest groups and
foundations, and alcohol beverage companies and trade
associations.
``(ii) Annually obtain and report more precise information
than is currently collected on the scope of the underage
drinking problem and patterns of underage alcohol
consumption, including improved knowledge about the problem
and progress in preventing, reducing and treating underage
drinking; as well as information on the rate of exposure of
youth to advertising and other media messages encouraging and
discouraging alcohol consumption.
``(iii) Compiling information on the involvement of alcohol
in unnatural deaths of persons ages 12 to 20 in the United
States, including suicides, homicides, and unintentional
injuries such as falls, drownings, burns, poisonings, and
motor vehicle crash deaths.
``(B) Certain matters.--The Secretary shall carry out
activities toward the following objectives with respect to
underage drinking:
``(i) Obtaining new epidemiological data within the
national or targeted surveys that identify alcohol use and
attitudes about alcohol use during pre- and early
adolescence, including harm caused to self or others as a
result of adolescent alcohol use such as violence, date rape,
risky sexual behavior, and prenatal alcohol exposure.
``(ii) Developing or identifying successful clinical
treatments for youth with alcohol problems.
``(C) Peer review.--Research under subparagraph (A) shall
meet current Federal standards for scientific peer review.
``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection
$6,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, and $6,000,000 for each of
the fiscal years 2008 through 2010.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Burgess) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material on the
bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H.R. 864, as amended,
the STOP Underage Drinking Act. This legislation takes crucial steps to
address the problem of underage drinking at the national level. The
Senate-passed version of H.R. 864 contains several beneficial changes
to the House bill which I am pleased to support.
At this time I would like to recognize Representative Roybal-Allard,
lead sponsor of the bill, as well as Representative Tom Osborne of
Nebraska for their hard work on this important piece of legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 864, the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage
Drinking Act, the STOP Act. The STOP Act is being reintroduced today
with technical changes to further clarify the intent of this important
legislation. When originally brought to the House floor on November 14
of this year, H.R. 864 passed by a vote of 373-23.
Underage drinking is a major public health concern in communities
throughout our Nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
has estimated that annually there are over 142,000 emergency room
visits by youth, ages 12 to 20, for unintentional injuries and other
health-related concerns caused by alcohol consumption. H.R. 864 is a
great start in moving our Nation toward the goal of decreasing youth
access to, and consumption of, alcohol.
This bill authorizes coalitions on the issue of underage drinking,
funds national media campaigns about the dangers of underage drinking,
and creates grant programs for preventing and reducing alcohol abuse in
institutions of higher education and surrounding communities.
The STOP Act has the endorsement of key public health advocates, as
well as the alcohol beverage industry. Both endorse this legislation on
the basis that it recognizes that a multifaceted national effort is key
to making progress in curbing underage alcohol consumption.
The issue of underage drinking deserves our immediate consideration
and support. So I urge my colleagues to support this bill for a second
time.
But I particularly want to thank Congresswoman Roybal-Allard and the
other lead sponsors of this bill, and I know she is here to speak.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Nebraska, the sponsor of this bill.
Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, underage drinking currently costs the
United States $53 billion annually, according to one study. According
to the American Medical Association that figure should be $61 billion.
And in the State of Nebraska, which I represent, that translates to
over $2,000 per youth in the State of Nebraska, is what the cost to the
United States is.
But the cost is really counted in more than financial aspects. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the number of
underage deaths due to excessive alcohol is roughly $4,500 a year,
which is six times the death rate that we are experiencing annually in
Iraq. An estimated 3 million teenagers are full-blown alcoholics and
several million more have severe drinking problems. Alcohol kills six
times more young people than all other illegal drugs combined. Let me
say that again: it kills
[[Page H8904]]
six times what cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana does
combined. And yet the Federal Government considerably underfunds the
efforts to combat underage drinking. We currently spend $1.8 billion on
hard drugs and only $71 million on underage drinking. That is a ratio
of 25 to 1. That needs to be corrected.
Recent studies have found that heavy exposure to the adolescent brain
to alcohol may interfere with brain development. One study found that
young alcohol-dependent 15 and 16 year olds who drank heavily in early
and middle adolescents performed worse on both verbal and nonverbal
memory tasks, and I think it has a tremendous impact on the dropout
rate in this country, which is about 30 percent. So this is certainly
an educational academic problem as well.
According to an analysis performed in 2004, the average age at which
12- to 17-year-old young people begin drinking is age 13. Young people
binge drink. Ninety-two percent of the alcohol consumed by 12 to 14
year olds is consumed when they are having five or more drinks on a
single occasion. And on and on. So the scope of the problem is truly
massive.
And the current bill, the STOP Underage Drinking bill, has been
sponsored by Congresswoman Roybal-Allard, Congressmen Wamp, Wolf, Rosa
DeLauro, and myself, and then Senators DeWine and Dodd in the Senate.
And I am sure that there will be others who will explain, but there
have been some minor technical changes. There has been an offset
provided so that those who had some heartburn over the funding aspects
of it should be satisfied at this point. But basically it does three or
four things. It creates an Interagency Coordinating Committee to
coordinate underage drinking programs, which now are kind of growing
like Topsy. It also provides a national media campaign against underage
drinking which is aimed at parents.
{time} 1145
The fundamental fact as to whether a young person decides to use
alcohol early in their life is parental attitudes. And so many parents
think, well, if my young person is only using alcohol, then they will
be protected from heroin and methamphetamine. And the research is
exactly the opposite. It simply is a gateway drug.
The bill also does a number of other things. It provides some grants,
particularly at the college campus. The number one cause of death on
the college campus is underage drinking: 1,700 deaths each year. So we
feel this is a good bill. It was passed before. We think the Senate has
improved it.
I would like to thank those who have worked on it for a long period
of time. We appreciate the bipartisan support.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the lead sponsor of
this legislation, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard).
Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, 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.
I thank my Senate colleagues, Chris Dodd and Mike DeWine, for their
tireless support of this bill over the past 3 years.
And I also thank my colleague from the House, Frank Wolf, for his
early and steadfast support of this issue in the Appropriations
Committee, as well as my colleagues Tom Osborne, Zach Wamp, and Rosa
DeLauro for their unwavering perseverance in addressing the problem of
underage drinking in this country.
I particularly want to acknowledge Tom Osborne and thank him for his
friendship and his support on this issue and for his lifetime
commitment to building a better future for our youth. Tom, your legacy
here in Congress will not soon be forgotten.
I would also like to thank my advocacy friends, as well as those in
the industry, for their efforts to help pass this bill in this 109th
Congress.
And finally, and but certainly not least, I would like to thank my
staffer, Debbie Jessup, and especially my chief of staff, Ellen
Riddleberger, who has worked with me on this issue for the past 7
years. Her many talents and knowledge of the issue are greatly
responsible for this bill being before us today.
Mr. Speaker, 3 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 substance of the bill, however, remains the
same as the bill the House passed on November 14.
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.
In addition, the STOP Act requires an annual report by the Secretary
of HHS on the progress States are making to address underage drinking.
Mr. Speaker, 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.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), who was a key sponsor of this bill.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all my colleagues for their
many years of hard work to ensure that this bill reaches the floor:
Congresswoman Roybal-Allard, Congressmen Osborne, Wolf and Wamp, as
well as our colleagues in the other body, Senators Dodd and DeWine.
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.
So, Mr. Speaker, that is why we need this comprehensive bill. 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.
So I urge my colleagues, support the STOP Act. 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.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would urge support of the bill again, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers.
I also would just like to point out what a privilege and an honor it
has been to serve with Tom Osborne here in my short time in the House.
And, Coach, we will miss you next year.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) that the House suspend the rules and
concur in the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 864.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds of those voting having
responded in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the Senate
amendment was concurred in.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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