[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 135 (Friday, September 19, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1495-E1496]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                STOP ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 18, 2014

  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, we are now half way 
through September, and young people in Chicago and throughout the 
nation have started a new school year. As they advance in age and begin 
to realize their potential, many teens from junior high through the 
first years of college are confronted with peer pressure and normal 
curiosity to engage in illegal underage drinking. In spite of great 
progress in reducing underage drinking, the statistics remain 
unacceptably high.
  For many years, the dedicated staff of the Federal Trade Commission 
has promoted a consumer education program known as We Don't Serve 
Teens. It is an effort to inform parents and other adults of the ways 
in which teens acquire alcohol and the risks they face. The FTC 
initiative is reinforced by members of the alcohol beverage industry 
who publicize the information in the media and at retail outlets 
throughout the nation.
  According to survey data compiled for the Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Administration, many young teens have easy access to 
alcohol. A study funded by that agency showed that 93.4 percent of 
adolescents ages 12-14 who drank alcohol in the past month got it for 
free.
  In most cases, adolescents have access to alcohol through family 
members, from their own homes or homes of friends. The same survey 
indicates that more than 500,000 youngsters in that 12-14 age group 
consumed alcohol within the last month. Alcohol consumption at that age 
can be the indication of other problems. If ignored, it can lead to 
patterns of abusive drinking and other risky behavior that adversely 
affect the teenager for a lifetime.
  In addition to monitoring the activities and behavior of young teens, 
illegal alcohol consumption poses a serious risk to high school and 
younger college students. This past August, the National Institute on 
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism published guidance titled, Fall Semester: 
A Time for Parents to Revisit Discussions About College Drinking. As 
our young people enter their later teenage years, the challenge for 
parents and the broader community increase. High school and college 
students have older friends who can purchase alcohol for them. They 
also have smart phones, cars, and other means to communicate and 
travel.
  We often hear the message, ``If you see something, say something,'' 
from our homeland security agencies. Parents, friends, neighbors, 
pastors, and teachers all have different experiences and interactions 
with teens. We need to enlist all people of good will to say something 
if they see a teen that they know engaged in underage drinking.
  Last year, alcohol was a factor in over 190,000 emergency room visits 
by persons under the age of 21. Some of those teens died and some 
suffered traumatic injuries that will permanently change their lives 
and diminish their potential. Those numbers are every bit as troubling 
as the national security issues we face. The We Don't Serve Teens web 
site and materials provide many common sense approaches to limit teen 
access to alcohol and to recognize the signs that a young person you 
know may be consuming alcohol illegally.
  In addition to supporting the We Don't Serve Teens message, I urge my 
colleagues to support the H.R. 498, the Sober Truth on Preventing 
Underage Drinking Act, better known as the STOP Act. It was introduced 
by Rep. Roybal-Allard again in this Congress. Thanks to her efforts and 
those of our Republican colleague Frank Wolf, portions of this

[[Page E1496]]

legislation have been included in continuing resolutions and 
appropriations bills since 2006.
  The STOP Act strengthened our response to the challenge of underage 
drinking. Seventeen federal agencies now worked through an interagency 
committee to better coordinate activities to further reduce underage 
drinking. A number of valuable studies and recommendations have been 
shared with government officials and civic-minded citizens throughout 
the nation. I commend our colleagues for their work.
  To the men and women in agencies responsible for administering STOP 
Act research and grants, I ask you to persevere. Your work has saved 
many lives, and with sustained effort at the federal, state, and 
community level, we can further reduce underage drinking and its 
terrible consequences for our families and communities.
  To the Commissioners and staff of the Federal Trade Commission, I 
commend the We Don't Serve Teens initiative and encourage you to 
sustain it in the future. I would also like to express appreciation for 
a company in the district I represent, Constellation Brands Beer 
Division, which promotes the We Don't Serve Teens message in the media 
and at alcohol beverage retail outlets throughout the greater Chicago 
area.
  Underage drinking is a problem we can all work together to solve. I 
urge my colleagues and all Americans to utilize the tools prepared by 
the FTC and other agencies and help further reduce underage drinking 
and its consequences for our younger citizens.

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