We Don't Serve Teens

Floor Speech

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join with the Democratic leader and chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee in congratulating Team USA on winning the America's Cup.

I rise today to inform my colleagues about a consumer protection initiative of the Federal Trade Commission to address underage drinking in the United States known as ``We Don't Serve Teens.''

People may not think of underage drinking as a consumer protection issue. But We Don't Serve Teens is an annual educational effort each September as teens head back to high school and college. The goal is to sustain and build on the progress our Nation has made in combating underage drinking. In my hometown of Chicago, Crown Imports is leading an effort to publicize the We Don't Serve Teens message.

We need the active involvement of parents, older siblings, relatives, educators, and other adults. Years of government surveys show that a significant number of young teens get alcohol from their own homes or the homes of friends or extended family members. Most parents are extremely careful about watching what their younger children eat or drink. For our teens, maintaining vigilance over the refrigerator, the wine rack, or the liquor cabinet is equally important.

Illegal underage drinking among older teens is a more formidable challenge. They are mobile and often able to obtain alcohol from older friends and family members, including older students in colleges and universities. With that access and mobility comes sad statistics.

An August 2012 report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicated that 839 drivers under the age of 21 were killed in drunk driving crashes in the United States during 2010. Several thousand were seriously injured, some with permanent disabilities. These tragedies are 100 percent preventable. But as every parent knows, our teens do not always make the best decisions, and some simply need more active supervision.

Back in 2006, when bipartisanship was still a hallmark of this body, our colleagues on the Appropriations Committee, Lucille Roybal-Allard and Frank Wolf, teamed up to enact the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Reauthorization Act, better known as the STOP Act. They are still committed to reauthorizing that legislation, which has helped align the policies of several Federal agencies involved in reducing and preventing underage drinking. The reauthorization bill introduced this year is H.R. 498. I urge my colleagues to support the legislation to sustain momentum in efforts to combat underage drinking.

In the district I represent, an organization that has benefited from the STOP Act grant is the Brighton Park Drug-Free Community Coalition. Their efforts embody the spirit of the We Don't Serve Teens initiative. Civic-minded adults have organized ``block clubs'' to monitor neighborhood conditions that can contribute to illegal underage drinking and other substance abuse. They also enlisted neighborhood retailers for assistance and a shared commitment to prevent illegal underage sales to minors.

In many metropolitan areas around the Nation, those who sell and serve alcohol beverages have been supportive of the We Don't Serve Teens initiative. I mentioned that Crown Imports is leading the effort in Chicago with a media campaign that includes outdoor advertising, radio, and television messages that will be seen by millions of adults. Other brewers and importers are taking the lead in New York, Milwaukee, St. Louis, and other metropolitan areas.

I commend the FTC for its leadership on the We Don't Serve Teens and all who support this valuable program. It is worth the effort.

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