Proposal targeting underage drinkers passes Senate

State Sen. Jim Tracy says legislation he sponsored will close a loophole by making it a misdemeanor for adults to allow 18-to-20-year-olds to drink in their presence.

The bill was approved 27-0 by the Senate on Wednesday.

Tracy said he was asked to sponsor the bill in the Senate by State Rep. Joe Carr (R-Lascassas), its House sponsor. The House passed the bill last month; there are a few minor differences between the wording of the House and Senate versions, which Tracy said would easily be worked out.

It had already been a crime for adults to allow juveniles to drink, for example at a party in a home or hotel room. But adults bore no legal penalty for allowing 18, 19 or 20 year olds to drink, even though the legal drinking age is 21.

"There wasn't any penalthy for those who did that," said Tracy. He said the new bill will close the gap.

"Hopefully," he said, "it will stop some of this underage drinking."

Critics say the bill could even penalize parents sharing a beer in their home with offspring under 21, including those who had served with the military in Iraq or Afghanistan. A group of prominent college presidents called last year for reducing the drinking age from 21 to 18, saying that would allow rampant drinking among college students to be better monitored and controlled.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this story.