Bill Killed: Stops Hosts From Serving Minors

by Breanna Fuss, Reporter
January 23, 2013 5:49 PM


The State Senate Affairs Committee held a meeting Wednesday morning to discuss a sensitive topic, minors and drinking. It was an intense discussion that left members of the committee going back and forth with each other.

The proposed bill would prohibit someone from letting minors consume alcohol on their property.

Joyce Glen, a mother who lost her son to drinking and driving while he was on his way home from a friends party, called for more responsibility for adults, to keep kids safe.  

"Some people get so worried about the rights of adults, and thinking they shouldn’t be held responsible for this or that, but what about the rights of our kids,” asked Joyce Glen.

Those against the bill had an issue with the language of section 4. The section of the bill granted forgiveness for those adults who could prove they did not now minors were consuming alcohol on their property.

“(It) Uses what I would call a 'negligence standard,’ knew or should have known something was happening,” said Dick Tieszen, Tieszen Law.

The opposition said that could put your homeowners policy at risk. So with quick discussion, the section was amended, all sides agreeing.

But the bills debate wasn't about what whom, for or against it had to say. It was about what the committee thought. And their question was will with bill do anything?

Thinking back to Glen’s testimony the state senators had heard earlier in the meeting, they evaluated the proposed legislation.

“If I were to add senate bill 94 to our codes, if it had been in place at that time, would have that one additional law changed anything that night? And I would argue that it probably wouldn't,” said State Senator Corey Brown.

Majority of the committee agreed, and the bill was killed.

Legislators said they feel the current laws in place already do a good job holding those who are caught letting minors drink on their property accountable.