[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6287]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           UNDERAGE DRINKING

  (Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, April is Alcohol Awareness Month. 
Therefore, I want to highlight the crisis of underage drinking in this 
country.
  Every month 11 million youth between the ages of 12 and 20 drink 
alcohol. Each day over 5,000 kids under the age of 16 take their first 
drink. Research has shown that these kids are significantly more likely 
than those who do not drink to become alcoholics, use marijuana, and 
try cocaine.
  Alcohol is also known to impact adolescent brain development and 
increase risk-taking behavior that results in at least nine teenage 
deaths a day.
  To address this crisis, I sponsored the STOP Act, which makes 
permanent the national antiunderage drinking media campaign, which is 
directed at those who have the greatest influence over children: their 
parents. The bill provides grants to combat underage drinking in our 
communities and establishes a report card to track States' efforts.
  I encourage my colleagues to help stop underage drinking by 
sponsoring the STOP Act and passing it into law.

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