[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17] [House] [Pages 21936-21942] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]SOBER TRUTH ON PREVENTING UNDERAGE DRINKING ACT Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 864) to provide for programs and activities with respect to the prevention of underage drinking, as amended. The Clerk read as follows: H.R. 864 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act, or the `STOP Underage Drinking Act'''. (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Definitions. TITLE I--SENSE OF CONGRESS Sec. 101. Sense of Congress. TITLE II--INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE; ANNUAL REPORT ON STATE UNDERAGE DRINKING PREVENTION AND ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES Sec. 201. Interagency coordinating committee on the prevention of underage drinking. Sec. 202. Annual report on State underage drinking prevention and enforcement activities. Sec. 203. Authorization of appropriations. TITLE III--NATIONAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN Sec. 301. National media campaign to prevent underage drinking. TITLE IV--INTERVENTIONS Sec. 401. Community-based coalition enhancement grants to prevent underage drinking. Sec. 402. Grants directed at preventing and reducing alcohol abuse at institutions of higher education. TITLE V--ADDITIONAL RESEARCH Sec. 501. Additional research on underage drinking. Sec. 502. Authorization of appropriations. SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. For purposes of this Act: (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''. TITLE I--SENSE OF CONGRESS SEC. 101. 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. TITLE II--INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE; ANNUAL REPORT ON STATE UNDERAGE DRINKING PREVENTION AND ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES SEC. 201. INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON THE PREVENTION OF UNDERAGE DRINKING. (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with the Federal officials specified in subsection (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 section as the ``Committee''). (b) Other Agencies.--The officials referred to in subsection (a) 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 [[Page 21937]] 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 Act 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.-- (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, on behalf of the Committee, shall annually submit to the Congress a report that summarizes-- (A) all programs and policies of Federal agencies designed to prevent and reduce underage drinking; (B) the extent of progress in preventing and reducing underage drinking nationally; (C) data that the Secretary shall collect with respect to the information specified in paragraph (2); and (D) such other information regarding underage drinking as the Secretary determines to be appropriate. (2) Certain information.--The report under paragraph (1) shall include information on the following: (A) 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. (B) Measures of the availability of alcohol from commercial and non-commercial sources to underage populations. (C) Measures of the exposure of underage populations to messages regarding alcohol in advertising and the entertainment media as reported by the Federal Trade Commission. (D) 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. (E) Any additional findings resulting from research conducted or supported under section 501. (F) Evidence-based best practices to prevent and reduce underage drinking and provide treatment services to those youth who need them. SEC. 202. ANNUAL REPORT ON STATE UNDERAGE DRINKING PREVENTION AND ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES. (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in this section as 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.-- (1) In general.--The Secretary shall develop, in consultation with the Committee established in section 201, a set of measures to be used in preparing the report on best practices. (2) Categories.--In developing these measures, the Secretary shall consider categories including, but not limited to: (A) 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. (B) Whether or not the State has comprehensive liability statutes such as dram shop, social host and ``house party'' laws; and the prevalence of enforcement of each of these infractions. (C) Whether or not the State encourages and conducts comprehensive enforcement efforts 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 results of such checks. (D) Whether or not the State mandates or encourages training on the proper selling and serving of alcohol for all sellers and servers of alcohol as a condition of employment. (E) Whether or not the State has policies and regulations with regard to direct sales to consumers and home delivery of alcoholic beverages. (F) 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. (G) 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. (H) Whether or not the State has enacted graduated drivers licenses and the extent of those provisions. (I) The amount that the State invests, per youth capita, on the prevention of underage drinking, further broken down by the amount spent on-- (i) compliance check programs in retail outlets, including providing technology to prevent and detect the use of false identification by minors to make alcohol purchases; (ii) checkpoints and saturation patrols; (iii) community-based, school-based, and higher-education- based programs to prevent underage drinking; (iv) underage drinking prevention programs that target youth within the juvenile justice and child welfare systems; and (v) other State efforts or programs as deemed appropriate. SEC. 203. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this title $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, and $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2010. TITLE III--NATIONAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN SEC. 301. NATIONAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT UNDERAGE DRINKING. (a) Scope of the Campaign.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall continue to fund and oversee the production, broadcasting, and evaluation of the Ad Council's national adult-oriented media public service campaign. (b) Report.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall provide a report to the Congress annually detailing the production, broadcasting, and evaluation of the campaign referred to in subsection (a), 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. (c) Consultation Requirement.--In carrying out the media campaign, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall direct the Ad Council 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 subsection (b). (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2007 and $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2010. TITLE IV--INTERVENTIONS SEC. 401. 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 ``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. (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this section are to-- (1) prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth in communities throughout the United States; (2) strengthen collaboration among communities, the Federal Government, and State, local, and tribal governments; (3) enhance intergovernmental cooperation and coordination on the issue of alcohol use among youth; (4) 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; (5) 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 (6) 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 section 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-- (1) 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 (2) 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 section shall [[Page 21938]] use the grant funds to carry out the activities described in such entity's application submitted pursuant to subsection (c). Grants under this section shall not exceed $50,000 per year and may not exceed four years. (e) Supplement Not Supplant.--Grant funds provided under this section shall be used to supplement, not supplant, Federal and non-Federal funds available for carrying out the activities described in this section. (f) Definitions.--For purposes of this section, 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.). (g) Administrative Expenses.--Not more than 6 percent of a grant under this section may be expended for administrative expenses. (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, and $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2010. SEC. 402. 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 Act 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-- (1) a description of how the eligible entity will work to enhance an existing, or where none exists to build a, statewide coalition; (2) a description of how the eligible entity will target underage students in the State; (3) a description of how the eligible entity intends to ensure that the statewide coalition is actually implementing the purpose of this Act and moving toward indicators described in section (d); (4) a list of the members of the statewide coalition or interested parties involved in the work of the eligible entity; (5) a description of how the eligible entity intends to work with State agencies on substance abuse prevention and education; (6) the anticipated impact of funds provided under this Act in preventing and reducing the rates of underage alcohol use; (7) outreach strategies, including ways in which the eligible entity proposes to-- (A) reach out to students and community stakeholders; (B) promote the purpose of this Act; (C) address the range of needs of the students and the surrounding communities; and (D) address community norms for underage students regarding alcohol use; and (8) such additional information as required by the Secretary. (c) Uses of Funds.--Each eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds to carry out the activities described in such entity's application submitted pursuant to subsection (b). (d) Accountability.--On the date on which the Secretary first publishes a notice in the Federal Register soliciting applications for grants under this section, the Secretary shall include in the notice achievement indicators for the program authorized under this section. The achievement indicators shall be designed-- (1) to measure the impact that the statewide coalitions assisted under this Act 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); (2) to measure the quality and accessibility of the programs or information offered by the eligible entity; and (3) to provide such other measures of program impact as the Secretary determines appropriate. (e) Supplement Not Supplant.--Grant funds provided under this Act shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, Federal and non-Federal funds available for carrying out the activities described in this section. (f) Definitions.--For purposes of this section: (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a State, institution of higher education, or nonprofit entity. (2) 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)). (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Education. (4) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (5) Statewide coalition.--The term ``statewide coalition'' means a coalition that-- (A) includes, but is not limited to-- (i) institutions of higher education within a State; and (ii) a nonprofit group, a community underage drinking prevention coalition, or another substance abuse prevention group within a State; and (B) works toward lowering the alcohol abuse rate by targeting underage students at institutions of higher education throughout the State and in the surrounding communities. (6) Surrounding community.--The term ``surrounding community'' means the community-- (A) that surrounds an institution of higher education participating in a statewide coalition; (B) where the students from the institution of higher education take part in the community; and (C) 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 section may be expended for administrative expenses. (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, and $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2010. TITLE V--ADDITIONAL RESEARCH SEC. 501. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH ON UNDERAGE DRINKING. (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall collect data on, and conduct or support research on, underage drinking with respect to the following: (1) 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. (2) Annually obtain and report more precise information than is currently collected on the scope of the underage drinking problem and patterns exhibited in underage alcohol consumption, including improved knowledge of both 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. (3) 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 of Health and Human Services shall carry out activities toward the following objectives with respect to underage drinking: (1) Obtaining new epidemiological data within the National Epidemiological Study on Alcoholism and Related Conditions and other 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. (2) Developing or identifying successful clinical treatments for youth with alcohol problems. (c) Peer Review.--Research under section 501 must meet current Federal standards for scientific peer review. SEC. 502. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 501 $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 Georgia (Mr. Deal) and the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia. General Leave Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on this bill. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Georgia? There was no objection. Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 864, the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act. Commonly referred to as the STOP Act, this legislation takes several important measures to address the problem of underage drinking. Underage drinking is a serious problem in our country that has serious consequences. It is estimated that nearly one-third of children and adolescents between the ages of 12 and 20 use [[Page 21939]] alcohol, which is a higher percentage than those who use tobacco or illicit drugs. Alcohol is a leading contributor to death and injury among adolescents. Over 5,000 young people die every year as a result of injuries that involve drinking. Not only does underage drinking cause accidents, injuries and death, but it can have a lasting impact on a young person's physical development. Studies have shown that the human brain continues to develop into a young person's early 20s, and that exposure of the developing brain to alcohol may have long-lasting effects on intellectual capabilities and increase the likelihood of alcohol addiction. The legislation before us today will take several steps to address the problem of underage drinking at the national level. It would also assist States, localities and institutions of higher learning in their efforts to prevent underage drinking. The bill would create a nationwide media campaign to educate youth and parents on the dangers of underage drinking. It would also assist States in collecting data on underage drinking laws and their enforcement around the country, so that States can collaborate and learn from each other about which strategies are most effective at combating this problem. The bill also calls for research to be conducted on the influences and pressures that entice youth to consume alcohol. I am pleased to recognize Congresswoman Roybal-Allard, the lead sponsor of the bill, Congressman Tom Osborne and other Members who have worked so hard on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, at this time I ask unanimous consent that Mr. Flake from Arizona be able to control 5 minutes of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Georgia? There was no objection. Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 864, the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act or STOP Underage Drinking Act. Underage drinking is a serious public health concern in communities throughout our Nation. According to 2004 estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were over 142,000 emergency room visits by youth, age 12 to 20, for unintentional injuries and other health-related concerns caused by alcohol consumption. This bill builds interagency and community-based coalitions focusing on underage drinking, funds the production, broadcast and evaluation of national media-based public health campaigns about the dangers of underage drinking, and establishes grant programs for preventing and reducing alcohol abuse at institutions of higher education and surrounding communities. This bill is a great start in moving our Nation towards the goal of decreasing youth access to, and consumption of, alcohol. It has the endorsement of both the alcohol beverage industry and a number of key public health advocates, both committed to the idea that a multifaceted national effort is key to making progress in curbing underage alcohol consumption. I want to express my appreciation to Congresswoman Roybal-Allard's office, as well as the many other lead cosponsors of this bill that include Representatives Wamp, Osborne and DeLauro. I also want to thank the committee staff; the committee staff have dedicated their time and attention and effort to this bill. And I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for giving me time on this bill. I am not rising today to debate the merits of trying to prevent underage drinking. What I am here to do is challenge the Federal Government's role in authorizing what amounts, in this bill, to $40 million for two new grant programs, $24 million for a new research initiative, $4 million to establish a new Federal committee, and another $4 million for a public service announcement. This is a total of $72 million over 4 years. And here's the real kicker: There already exist Federal programs that do exactly what this suspension bill intends to do. My staff and I visited www.thecoolspot.gov this morning. The Cool Spot was created for young teens by the lead U.S. agency supporting research into the causes, prevention and treatment of alcohol programs. It is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, an agency that is estimated to receive over $430 million in fiscal year 2007 and to do exactly what this suspension bill intends to do. The acting director of this agency justified in House and Senate Appropriations Committee hearings a budget increase of over $2 million for fiscal year 2005 to 2006 by claiming the agency would expand its research into youth alcohol abuse. But if you think that there needs to be more money, you can visit www.alcoholfreechildren.org, another underage drinking program that receives Federal funding from the Federal Government. Or there's www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov, or www.alcoholpolicy.gov. Why are we spending $72 million on Federal research and grants to establish duplicative programs? And why are we doing this exactly 1 week after the voters told us that they were tired of wasteful spending? Mr. Speaker, we simply cannot afford to keep adding new authorizations, new Federal programs when we know that we are running deficits and we have a massive debt. Where does it end? Where do we say, you know, having seven or eight or a dozen programs that already do virtually the exact same thing are enough? {time} 1245 Why are we simply adding another? We can't continue to do this. So I would rise in opposition to this legislation and urge my colleagues to vote against it. Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne). Mr. OSBORNE. I would like to thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 864. As many have pointed out, underage drinking certainly flies under the radar screen, because alcohol is legal, and it is widely accepted. I understand the objection to new spending, a so-called new program. I think it is important to realize that many programs involving alcohol abuse are already ongoing, and they are funded, but they are not authorized, and there is no oversight. That is what this bill does. We are not talking about completely new spending on every issue. We are simply trying to rein in and control and to better channel the spending on underage drinking. Underage drinking costs the citizens of Nebraska $435 million a year. The United States estimate is $53 billion a year. AMA estimates $61 billion. If you can cut that by 10 percent, you are talking about a $5 billion savings. We can do that. So let us not be a penny wise and a pound foolish on this, which is what I think we may be talking about here. But the cost is measured in more than money. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated the number of underage deaths due to excessive alcohol use at 4,554 a year. That is more than six times the rate of death in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have agonized on this floor over that death rate, and yet we are having six times more young people die every year, and it is sort of something that doesn't capture our attention. An estimated 3 million teenagers are full-blown alcoholics, and several million more have serious drinking problems. Alcohol kills six times more young people than all other illegal drugs combined. So the Federal Government, in response, spends 25 times more annually to combat youth drug use, which would be cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, than it does to prevent underage alcohol use, which is $1.8 billion on the drug side versus $71 million on the alcohol side. That doesn't make sense. It is tremendously imbalanced. This is the biggest problem we have as far as our young people, and yet we are [[Page 21940]] spending a drop in the bucket compared to what we are spending on other drugs. Recent studies have found that heavy exposure of the adolescent brain to alcohol interferes with brain development, which is a real problem, and this is something that has really come to light only in the last 2 or 3 years. It was assumed for a long time that drinking with a 12- year-old is the same as drinking if you are 30 years old, but it really is not in terms of what it does to the adolescent brain or the adolescent body, and we need to focus on that. According to an analysis performed in 2004, the average age in which 12- to 17-year-olds begin drinking is age 13. Now when you start at age 13, that does some stuff to you. Young people tend to binge drink; 92 percent of the alcohol consumed by 12- to 14-year-olds is consumed when they are having five or more drinks upon a single occasion; 12- to 14- year-olds, 92 percent of them are binge drinking. They do not drink socially, they drink to get drunk, in most cases. That, again, of course, is a huge problem with our young people. Young people who began drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence. The STOP Act, which we are talking about here today, includes four major areas of policy development. The first creates an interagency coordinating committee, and that is something that I want to address to Mr. Flake, because these programs that he cited, and I agree with him, there are some things that are out there, but they are not coordinated, and as a result we are spending money here and there, but it is not channeled, it is not funneled in the direction that it has to be. So what we need to do is have this report filed with Congress so we know what works and what doesn't work. What are we spending money on that is not effective. What are we spending money on that is effective. That is the important distinction here. The STOP Act would authorize a national media campaign against underage drinking, which would be directed at adults. Now, this is important, because the biggest single determinant as to what young people do with underage drinking is the attitude of their parents, and we totally missed that point. So whatever advertising we do is aimed at kids, it is not at the adults who influence their thinking. So we think that this is a critical component. The bill would also provide additional resources to prevent underage drinking, including alcohol specific grants through the drug-free communities program, and competitive grants that would create statewide coalitions to prevent underage drinking and alcohol abuse by college and university students. Currently, we are losing 1,700 college students a year to underage drinking, 1,700. There are roughly 70,000 date rapes in this regard as well. So I would like to thank Jeremiah Blake on my staff, Ms. Roybal- Allard, Mr. Wamp, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Wolf and Senator DeWine and Senator Dodd. I appreciate their hard work and urge passage. Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the bill's primary author, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal- Allard). Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. I thank my colleague for yielding. Mr. Speaker, the passage of the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act is an opportunity for this House to make a historic commitment to the well-being of our children and our Nation. I extend my sincere thanks to my colleagues, Frank Wolf, Tom Osborne, Zach Wamp, Rosa DeLauro for their original cosponsorship of my bill. Their commitment and steadfast efforts throughout the years have helped to make possible today's consideration of this significant piece of legislation. I particularly want to acknowledge the efforts of Congressman Osborne. Passage of the STOP Act would be an important part of his legacy as he retires from Congress at the end of this session. Tom, I wish you well, and I thank you for being a champion on behalf of our children. I also thank Senators DeWine and Dodd for sponsoring the companion bill in the Senate. I thank the public health groups, especially MADD, CAMY, CSPI and CADCA for working with me over 10 years on this critical issue. Their advocacy has raised the level of awareness in Congress and throughout the Nation about our public health crisis of underage drinking, and I commend them for their efforts. I also thank the alcohol beverage industry for its efforts this year in support of the STOP Act. Mr. Speaker, prior to being elected to public office, I worked for a nonprofit agency which focused on alcohol abuse. At that agency, I witnessed firsthand the many devastating consequences of irresponsible drinking. That experience is what motivated me to find ways to address underage drinking. Initially, my colleagues and I commissioned a landmark study by the Institute of Medicine to determine the extent of the problem in our country. The IOM study was published in 2003, and its findings were more than alarming. The study found, for example, that in the United States, in any given month, nearly 11 million of our youth between the ages of 12 and 20 drink alcohol. This number includes nearly 1 in 5 of 8th graders, 1 in 3 of 10th graders and half of all 12th graders. It also includes the over 5,000 youth in our Nation under the age of 16, who will take their first drink by the end of today. Mr. Speaker, the result of these facts is that today alone at least three teenagers will die from drinking and driving, and six more will die from alcohol-related causes such as a homicide, suicide and drowning. To add to these tragic consequences is a recent scientific study that suggests that youth who drink alcohol can lose as much as 10 percent of that which they learn compared to those who don't drink. When one considers the additional problems associated with drinking before the legal age of 21, like car accidents, violent crime, unsafe sexual activity and teenage pregnancy, one begins to sense the extent and tragic consequences of underage drinking, which, according to the American Medical Association, costs our country more than $61 billion a year. Using the Institute of Medicine's study as a guide to help address this crisis, my colleagues and I initiated an interagency council which brought together for the first time Federal agencies with jurisdiction over programs related to underage drinking. Also, in December 2005, with Federal funds we secured, the Ad Council began airing a national media campaign to educate parents about the dangers of consuming alcohol before the age of 21. In the 108th Congress, based on the recommendations of the IOM report, my colleagues and I introduced the STOP Act. The STOP Act is the first comprehensive piece of national legislation to address underage drinking in this country. This legislation makes permanent the national anti-underage drinking campaign directed at parents and makes permanent the interagency council to coordinate Federal efforts. In addition, the STOP Act requires an annual report by the Secretary of HHS on the progress States are making to address underage drinking. H.R. 864 also makes available research grants to find effective strategies to deter childhood drinking and grants to communities and colleges to address this crisis. Mr. Speaker, our Nation must no longer be complacent about underage drinking and its alarming consequences. We must bring this national public health crisis out of the shadow and into the bright light of a national priority. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the passage of H.R. 864, the STOP Act. Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp). Mr. WAMP. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your leadership in bringing this bill to the floor, and to the ranking member. I also want to thank the gentleman from Arizona, who is leaving the floor, for being a watch guard, for standing on the wall, because we haven't done enough of that, and we need to do that all the time. Even though on this particular issue, I would come today and say we need to [[Page 21941]] go forward with investments that will save us billions of dollars in the future. I also want to remind people that this is the illegal use of this legal product. That hasn't been talked about enough on the floor today, that underage drinking is illegal. When other things are illegal, we pay attention to it. Illegal immigration didn't get enough attention. It is a misdemeanor, so it is not that big a deal. And now we are addressing it because it became a big problem. This is the illegal use of a legal product, and we need to address it on a national level because you can't hodgepodge and address a national problem that frankly is like a cancer among young people. I want to reemphasize the binge drinking problem. I don't know if you have taken your family to the beach for spring break, but as my children were growing up, we would go, and I was shocked at what I saw. When I was young, I sowed wild oats, but I had never seen anything like this where 15- and 16-year-old kids just completely sick and running into telephone poles. I mean, it was not only not funny, it was one of the scariest things I have ever seen. Because these kids get away from their parents, and they binge drink until they are sick. Dozens of them are going to the hospital, and some of them dying. This is a problem, a big problem that needs to be addressed, and we need accurate information. We don't need the information from the industry. That is what has dominated this debate forever. We need the government to give us the accurate information, cause and effect, advertising leads to. This is an illegal use of a product with our children that is devastating the next generation. I know moms and dads should raise their children and stay on top of them and keep them, but this problem is getting much worse, and the government needs to do a better job at addressing this problem. I also know we are going against the grain. This is the popular culture. This is iconic, Hollywood promotes it, it is all around us. But I have got to tell you, in a world that is going in the wrong direction, the people that are advocating on this issue, Ms. Roybal-Allard with me for 12 years, and Frank Wolf, and Coach Osborne for 6 years, we are going against the grain. The wind is in our face. We are going in the right direction. The world is going in the wrong direction. The world is going down the tubes with things like this, and we need to stand against it together, united, and invest wisely to frankly save the next generation from some problems. I know it starts at home, but all families are not staying together. All children are not getting the basics, and they are devastating our culture. Frankly, alcohol leads to a lot of other things when you start drinking at 12 years old. It is a big problem that needs to be addressed. Frankly, the industry has pushed us back and pushed us back. Coach Osborne, thank you for sharing 6 years of your life with all of us here in the House of Representatives. Thank you for your service and thank you for your whole life of helping other people. You are an icon. {time} 1300 Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to one of the bill's cosponsors, the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro). Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank, again, all my colleagues who have worked for so many years to see this bill reach the floor: Congresswoman Roybal-Allard, Congressmen Osborne, Wolf, and Wamp, as well as our colleagues in the other body, Senators Dodd and DeWine. This is an important moment, one in which this Congress says ``enough is enough.'' For too long we have looked the other way when it comes to the increasing problem of underage drinking, and the results of our inaction are clear. Today, the average age kids start drinking is 13; 7 million young people describe themselves as binge drinkers; alcohol plays a role in the three leading causes of death among young people; and studies tell us that the average young person today, not the troubled teen, but the average kid, is engaging in behavior that leads to alcoholism. Mr. Speaker, the time for action is now. This is a disease that starts when we are young, and it does not get better as we get older. It gets worse. That is why we need this comprehensive bill. To start with, the STOP Act will increase resources for drinking prevention coalitions like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which we already know have had a positive impact on teenagers. This bill supports them. It will also fund more research and create a committee charged with delivering a record card on the progress we are making and what we can do better. The committee will also give us a better picture of the degree to which this problem is exacerbated by advertisements targeted toward young people. Lastly, the STOP Act would help us fund a national media campaign directed to adults to make them as aware of the dangers associated with underage drinking as possible. Too often, when it comes to adults, parents think ``not my child,'' and we need to turn that around. So I urge my colleagues to support the STOP Act. As a Member of Congress and as someone who lost a family member in a drunk driving accident, it is long past time that Congress said with one voice that it is serious about reducing underage drinking in our communities. With this bill, we can and we will. Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe). Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, the greatest natural resource in this country is not the Spotted Owl, it is not the Grand Canyon, it is not the environment, it is our children, and this bill is a preventive bill. I spent all my life in the criminal justice system before I came to Congress, 22 years on the criminal court in Houston, Texas. I saw about 25,000 people work their way to the courthouse. Many of those people were young people who made bad decisions, first to drink and then to commit a crime like driving. I will relate one of those to you. A young lady by the name of Lisa, graduating from one of our local high schools, was, as was said earlier, just a regular person, not a troubled child. In fact, she was an honor student, a National Merit Scholar going to one of the Ivy League colleges upon graduation. She and her best friend drove to a nearby town, had something to eat to celebrate, and then they decided they needed something to drink, because that was the thing to do, even though both of them were 18- year-olds, under the age to drink. They did have something to drink. The waiter knew they were underage, but he figured he would get a big tip if he served them, and he did. They were driving home in Lisa's mother's car. Having too much to drink, she started weaving on one of our farm-to-market roads, crashed in a ditch and killed her best friend in the car, her very best friend, her next-door neighbor. Because of that crime, involuntary manslaughter, drinking and driving and killing somebody under Texas law, it was mandatory that she go to the penitentiary for a period of time. But in court, when that 5-foot-2 little girl came to court, she said to me, ``Judge Poe, this can't happen to me. This can't happen to me.'' But, you see, that is life's biggest lie, especially among young people. It can happen. It does happen. It destroys lives. And rather than wait to be reactionary, to so-called punish somebody for committing that crime, we need to educate. We need to make sure that young people understand it is not socially acceptable or legal to drink under the age of 21. I appreciate this bill. This is a good bill to be sponsored to show that we have a concern about our children. I too want to thank Coach Osborne for dedicating his life to the betterment of young people. Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. [[Page 21942]] Mr. Speaker, let me say to my friend from Arizona (Mr. Flake) that I agree with his observations and I agree with his concern; but as pointed out by Mr. Osborne, I believe that this is a bill that can help solve part of that problem, to give some oversight mechanisms to existing allocations, to give some response back to this Congress about programs that are working and that are not working. I think the challenge that we all face, and I pledge to him to work with him cooperatively in this effort, is in the appropriations process. And pointing out this is not an appropriations bill, this is an authorization bill, that in the appropriations process, that we try to make sure that our appropriators funnel the money only to those programs that are authorized, such as this one, that will have some oversight and response back to this Congress, so that we can eliminate duplicative programs. I would pledge to him that I would work cooperatively with him in that effort. But I do believe this is a well-thought-out piece of legislation and one that I would urge this body to adopt Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 864, the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act. If enacted, this legislation would require Federal, State, local and tribal authorities to adopt a comprehensive and coordinated approach toward mitigating and countering underage consumption of alcoholic beverages. I fully support a multifaceted strategy toward addressing this public health issue. Preventing underage drinking requires strict enforcement of existing laws, comprehensive education to prevent binge drinking, and continued research of the effects of alcohol on the health of adolescents. Combating the problem of underage drinking also requires committed efforts by community leaders, parents, teachers, mentors, policy makers, and others to work to instill an increased sense of responsibility and respect for the law in young people. I firmly believe that investing in research of the effects alcohol has on minors and raising public awareness among at-risk demographic groups, parents, and educators are two important ways to mitigating and countering underage drinking. As leaders, it is our duty to help improve the health and well-being of the next generation. Doing so will ensure that they have the utmost opportunity to lead productive and prosperous lives. By countering underage drinking, we are allowing young adults to recognize their full potential. Enactment of this legislation would go far toward achieving these goals. Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 864, the STOP Underage Drinking Act. First and foremost, I would like to thank the sponsors--Mrs. Roybal-Allard and Mr. Osborne--for their diligence over the years on this issue and am pleased to see their work pay off today. Keeping alcohol out of the hands of America's youth is of the utmost importance and this bill will ensure that the federal government is doing its part, working hand-in-hand with private industry and other public interest groups while strengthening the intent of congress that states have the primary jurisdiction to regulate the sale, production and distribution of alcohol under the 21st amendment. Alcohol, Mr. Speaker, has always been regarded as a unique product throughout American history. No one would suggest that it is the same as a flat screen television or ball bearings. No, alcohol can have tangible societal costs--from underage drinking, drunken driving deaths, and other issues stemming from overconsumption. Be it through the tax law or the 21st amendment, Congress has never intended alcohol to be just another consumer good--as evidenced by the unique regulatory model put in place after prohibition was repealed. We have always placed this distinction on the product, because of the societal dangers involved--not consumer irresponsibility. Because of these concerns, it is of the utmost importance for us to keep alcohol away from children. We need to prevent abuse in our communities and detach the stigma associated with these challenges so that we can meet them head on. As we confront underage drinking today and the responsibility issues that go along with them, we must also face the reality that while the federal government is well-suited to coordinate national ad campaigns and other valuable research studies; we must understand that states should and do have the primary jurisdiction to regulate the distribution, production and sale of alcohol under the 21st amendment. States and their individual regulatory models are our best ally and the people's best ally in the fight against underage drinking. We in Brooklyn do not want Boise's laws and they probably do not want ours either under the guise of Big Brother knows best. In addition to the programs which are authorized in this bill, I hope this will serve to put groups who look to dismantle our regulatory system on notice that Congress will continue to utilize its bully pulpit to advance best practices and responsibility from the industry and the public. Again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the sponsors of H.R. 864 and laud their efforts and urge my colleagues to pass this much-needed legislation into law. Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you in support of H.R. 864, the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP) Act. I would like to thank Congresswoman Roybal-Allard for introducing the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act, and I would also like to thank Majority Leader Boehner for bringing this measure to the floor. Protecting our young people from the consequences of underage drinking must be a national priority. In my home state of Arizona, 20 percent of children and teens from 12 to 20 years old regularly drink five or more drinks in one sitting, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services. State and tribal enforcement efforts and regulations are central in our fight against underage drinking. This legislation holds the States accountable for enforcing underage drinking laws by mandating that the Department of Health and Human Services issue an annual report card to rate the performance of each State in preventing or reducing underage drinking. Additionally, this measure requires the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to award grants to design and disseminate strategies to maximize the effectiveness of community-wide approaches to preventing and reducing underage drinking. The bill would provide $5 million in enhancement grants to the Drug Free Communities program to address the problem of underage drinking. Also, another new program will be funded at $5 million annually to provide competitive grants to states, non-profits, and institutions of higher education to create statewide coalitions to prevent underage drinking and alcohol abuse by university students. In my district, I have fought hard to work against substance abuse by supporting funding to combat alcohol and drug abuse. Just this past September, the Navajo Nation received a $98,000 grant from the Department of Justice for breathalyzers. Statistics have shown that about 90 percent of violent crime on the Navajo Nation is alcohol- related, and many of our young people are learning that substance abuse is a way of life. I am pleased that the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP) Act is being considered by the full House this afternoon and I look forward to its passage to provide additional tools to prevent underage drinking in Arizona and throughout the Nation. Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the STOP Act. This bill is the result of a lot of hard work by its authors and represents a strong effort to reduce underage drinking. The diligence put into drafting this bill is reflected by the broad support of this bill by the beer and wine industries. Many in the industry have worked hard to curb underage drinking for years. As a result of these efforts, underage drinking has been significantly reduced, evidenced by recent data showing that over 70 percent of youths aged 12-20 do not drink. I commend the beer and wine industries as a whole in their efforts to decrease underage drinking. This bill will continue and strengthen these efforts, and I am pleased to support it. ____________________