Question of the day
Monday, Mar 6, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the synopsis of HB 494…
Amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934. Provides that the provisions of the Act prohibiting the possession and consumption of alcoholic liquor by a person under 21 years of age and dispensing of alcoholic liquor to a person under 21 years of age do not apply if the person under 21 years of age (1) is on premises where a restaurant is operated and the sale of alcoholic liquor is not the principal business carried out on those premises and (2) is under the direct supervision and approval of his or her parents or parent or those persons standing in loco parentis of the person under 21 years of age.
This is primarily for restaurants. The drinkers must be at least 18 and the restaurants can refuse to serve them.
* CBS 2…
The law would be similar to one in Wisconsin, which allows those under 21 to drink with a parent or legal age guardian present.
Republican State Representative Barbara Wheeler is the chief sponsor and Democrat Kelly Burk is the co-sponsor. Republican Joe Cichowski of Rockford says he is not opposed to the idea.
“They want to let them have a small glass of wine or a taste of wine, and I don’t think it’s a concept that a lot of parents would have too much concern with.”
But a bar owner told our sister station in Rockford, WIFR, that he does not support the notion.
“I don’t believe that 18-year-olds are ready to consume alcohol even under the supervision of their parents. And how can you regulate?”
* The Question: What are your thoughts on this bill?
- Highspeed - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:25 pm:
If you can vote, serve in the military, drive, you should be able to drink responsibly!
- FIREDup! - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:26 pm:
If an 18 year old can have a baby, get married and DIE for our country, certainly they can have a drink. Sheesh…
- Cards1 - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:26 pm:
18 year olds might actually want to spend time with their parents then!
- Moby - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:28 pm:
How would the restaurant determine parenthood or legal guardianship?
- Roman - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:29 pm:
Can we add a provision that would allow the check-out personnel at the grocery store to scan my case of beer even if they’re not 21 years old? I hate waiting for the manager to come over and do it.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:29 pm:
I would prefer some language about driving after dinner. Otherwise, it doesn’t bother me. I lived in Germany when I was a teenager (parents deployed there). The joke was you could get served if you could reach the bar. So I guess I’m just not shocked by stuff like this.
- New Slang - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:31 pm:
I know many 21+, 30, 40, etc. people that are not ready to consume alcohol. And I agree with the above comments: die overseas under the age of 21? Vote. Pay taxes. Etc. etc. l Yah. But not responsible to drink. Ridiculous.
- Grass Bowl - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:32 pm:
The spelling of legislators’ names is atrocious in this article.
- Thoughts Matter - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:32 pm:
It’s illegal for parents to allow underage drinkers in their own home. That’s why parents get busted when JR throws a party st their house with their consent. Now you want them to be able to let their kids drink in public?
I was 19 when the drinking age was 19. The reason it was raised back to 21 is that 18 year olds supposedly were getting access. If you want 18 year adults to be able to drink, then pass THAT law- don’t make them have to ask their MOMMY for permission.
- pool boy - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:32 pm:
The drinking age was 18 when I was 18. That being said, who will be the designated driver?
- Bogey Golfer - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:34 pm:
Bill should be limited to beer or wine only. Otherwise I’m good with it.
- Ed - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:35 pm:
It is also allowed in Ohio I believe. Nothing wrong with it.
- illini - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:36 pm:
No real problem here. European countries are much more enlightened and do not have nearly the problems with DUI’s and other related issues.
Now if we could only get a budget agreed to!!!!!
- East Central Illinois - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:38 pm:
How is the establishment going to determine “parent or those persons standing in loco parentis of the person under 21 years of age” of the individual being served? Going to be extremely hard to enforce and check.
- A Modest Proposal - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:39 pm:
Definitely took advantage of this while I was with my parents north of the border in the land of cheese, and I turned out fine-ish
I’m in favor..
- Keyser Soze - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:48 pm:
Good idea.
- World Traveler - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:53 pm:
I’d go a step further: beer/wine legal at age 16, everything else at 18. But, blood alcohol tolerance on the roads is 0.0 until 21. Create a designated driver culture on the younger generation. Have parents, not our colleges and universities, be responsible for teaching about appropriate alcohol use.
- Johnnie F. - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:13 pm:
Add to the law the ability to step outside and light up legal recreational pot and you could give Bruce an actual accomplishment for his one (and only) term.
- 47th Ward - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:18 pm:
“Fill it up again! Once it hits your lips, it’s so good!”
–Frank the Tank
I think this concept is OK, but as with most things, some parents will abuse or misuse their discretion and some kids will too. I drank in high school. A lot, actually. I’m not recommending it for everyone, but there is something to be said about learning how alcohol will affect you while you are with people who love you and will care for you.
Any fifteen-year-old who spent the night over a toilet after an encounter with too much Southern Comfort or peach schnapps (you know who you are), knows to take it easy next time. When they get to college, and they are free to make lots of bad choices, they will at least have some experience about their own personal tolerance. I think this makes kids less likely to die of alcohol poisoning.
Dirty Harry once said that a man’s got to know his limitations. To this day I can’t drink Ouzo or Sambuca or even smell black licorice. I learned the hard way. But I learned.
Alcohol is legal, but it isn’t safe. Smart parents will help their children understand this important lesson. If that includes supervised drinking by minors. I’m OK with that, but I don’t think it needs to be legislated and I don’t think minors need to drink in restaurants to get this experience.
- RNUG - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:27 pm:
For a few years, back in the day, Illinois used to allow 18 year olds to drink beer.
If you’re going to allow all the other legal privileges (military service, marriage, etc.) at age 18, then alcohol should be included.
- FormerParatrooper - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:29 pm:
No problem with 18yr olds being to have a drink with dinner or at home. Like Rich I spent time in Germany, and a few Latin American Countries. The culture was different and I saw less alcohol issues than I do here across all age groups. I would venture to say that alcohol is not considered forbidden so less of a demand and want to abuse it.
- Bigfoot - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:33 pm:
Why not. After returning from deployment I was carded and told no you can’t have a beer with your meal.
- Sox Fan - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:49 pm:
I’m with 47th Ward on this one. The 21 year old drinking age never prevented me, or anyone I knew from drinking. It probably encouraged me to drink even more as a teen. If there is a way to teach teens to be more responsible with the stuff, I’m all for it.
- Ron Burgundy - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:49 pm:
I agree with the argument that you can do a lot of other things before 21 so why not this. I also agree this places burdens on restaurants regarding how to know if a person is someone’s parent, etc. I would expect restaurants as part of a deal will want a reduction in their liability in case the under 21 individual gets in an accident, etc. and a transfer of that liability to the parent giving approval except in the most extreme cases (serving someone fall-down drunk, etc.).
- Railrat - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:50 pm:
Add (3) “no use of electronic devices” SOLD !
- Liandro - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:58 pm:
It seems prudent to offer more *legal* introductions to alcohol than what the system currently offers (college binge drinking, turning-21 benders, etc.). It might pull a few more away from the “forbidden temptation” aspect of alcohol, which causes quite a bit of damage imo.
- First Gentleman - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 3:05 pm:
Agree with many above comments: add language reaffirming zero-tolerance for drinking/driving under 21, but otherwise I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Restaurants/bars can refuse if they don’t like the law.
- Ghost - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 3:12 pm:
old enough to die in a war old enough to have a beer with dinner
- @MisterJayEm - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 3:32 pm:
If you’re old enough to get a tattoo without permission from mom and dad, you’re certainly old enough to have a beer with their permission.
– MrJM
- VanillaMan - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 3:44 pm:
I like it, but it’s gonna be awkward telling a waiter that my date is my daughter so she can drink with me.
- One for the road - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 3:51 pm:
The “forbidden fruit” factor (as mentioned by Liandro at 2:58) is a fallacy as is that European teens are more responsible drinkers. On the contrary, they actually binge-drink at a higher rate.
And that’s not even mentioning all the other legal, mental and health consequences of teen drinking (check out the link below from the Illinois Liquor Commission):
https://www.illinois.gov/ilcc/Education/Pages/Under%2021/Consequences.aspx
- Frank Manzo IV - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 3:51 pm:
In favor, with the above caveats. If driverless cars become the norm in a decade or a few, I would also be in favor of lowering the drinking to at least 16 or eliminating it altogether. We’re a long way away from that, though.
The restaurant and bar owners in Champaign-Urbana certainly weren’t concerned about any liability from serving alcohol to underage students when I went there based on my– err, I mean, my “friend’s”– experience. Let’s just apply that same plausible deniability to this bill.
- DuPage - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 4:02 pm:
The drinking age was lowered to 18 in Illinois for a very few years. It was put back to 21 in Illinois but was 18 for several more years in Wisconsin. The federal DOT threatened to cut highway funds to any state that allowed under 21. Eventually all states complied.
- Mama - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 4:23 pm:
Add no driving for the under age drinker to the bill.
- 37B - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 4:39 pm:
I’m OK with granting parents the discretionary right to allow their 18-year old children to have a glass of wine or beer with dinner. On a very rare occasion we have allowed our 18-yr old to have wine on special occasions, mainly when we have an outstanding cut of prime beef which cries out for a comparable red. We’ve let him taste homemade Sangria once. My dad used to, again very occasionally, let me have an icy cold beer on hot summer days after mowing the lawn. Still one of life’s simple pleasures that parents should have some discretion in allowing.
- @MisterJayEm - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 5:14 pm:
‘The “forbidden fruit” factor (as mentioned by Liandro at 2:58) is a fallacy as is that European teens are more responsible drinkers. On the contrary, they actually binge-drink at a higher rate.’
Europe is a large and varied continent, i.e. in the Nordic and Baltic countries as well as in Austria, the Czech Republic, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, nearly 20 percent or more of students reported having been drunk at least 20 times in their lives, compared with about 5 percent or less of students in most southern European countries and in Belgium and the Netherlands.*
– MrJM
* Hibell, B.; Andersson, B.; Bjarnasson B.; et al. The 2003 ESPAD Report: Alcohol and Other Drug Use Among Students in 35 European Countries. Stockholm: Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs, 2004.
- Anon - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 5:16 pm:
I can’t believe that nobody has asked the most important question: How will this piece of legislation affect job creators? /s
- Michael Westen - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 5:17 pm:
Joe Cichowski probably has very low name recognition in his district. Joe Cichowski must be a very new Representative.
- BEAR 3 - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 5:46 pm:
It has to be enforceable and how do you control parties with the parents present and then the children driving. More than I want on the road.
Legal night time problem1
- blue dog dem - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 6:50 pm:
Good idea.