[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3856]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 INTRODUCTION OF SUPPORT 21 ACT OF 2009

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, in 2006, Congress passed the STOP 
Act to reduce the tragedy of underage drinking in our country.
  Today, I rise to introduce the Support 21 Act of 2009, which builds 
upon that effort. The 2006 STOP Act provided the first Federal 
community grants to address under age drinking as a public health 
crisis.
  While we are encouraged by reports of localized positive results, 
alcohol remains a dangerous primary drug of choice among our youth. 
Just listen to these statistics:
  In 2007, about 10.7 million teens, aged 12 to 20, reported drinking 
alcohol in the past month. Approximately 7.2 million were binge 
drinkers, and 2.3 million were heavy drinkers. According to the latest 
Monitoring the Future Survey, slightly over 43 percent of twelfth 
graders said they had used alcohol in the past 30 days. Clearly, too 
many children and parents are ignoring the facts or do not fully 
understand the dangers that under age drinking poses.
  Equally alarming is a recent movement by a group of college 
presidents to lower the minimum drinking age to 18. These college 
presidents are choosing to ignore research finding that alcohol has a 
potentially damaging impact on adolescent brain development.
  Madam Speaker, the teenage years represent a critical window of 
opportunity for understanding, preventing and treating alcoholism. We 
know that people who begin drinking before the age of 15 are four times 
more likely to develop alcohol dependence as an adult than those who 
wait until the age of 21. We know that each additional year of delayed 
drinking onset reduces the probability of alcohol dependence by 14 
percent and that, if drinking is delayed until age 21, a child's risk 
of serious alcohol-related problems is decreased by 70 percent.
  For all of these reasons, I am introducing the Support 21 Act, along 
with my lead cosponsor, Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack. Support 21 
authorizes a new, highly visible media campaign to educate the public 
about under age drinking laws and to build support for their 
enforcement. Our bill directs the Institute of Medicine to report to 
Congress about the influence of drinking alcohol on the development of 
the adolescent brain.

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  The legislation also authorizes grants to pediatric medical 
organizations in educating providers on best practices and provides 
supplemental grants to community coalitions to work with pediatric 
health care providers and parents to reduce underage drinking.
  Finally, the bill provides funds for CDC to establish a new focus on 
underage drinking, surveillance, and prevention.
  Madam Speaker, we can no longer afford to address alcohol dependence 
exclusively as a disease of middle age. Delaying the time when our 
children begin drinking until age 21 is a critical public health 
challenge that can offer them a safer and more productive adolescence, 
as well as a brighter future.
  I urge my colleagues to cosponsor the Support 21 Act of 2009.

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