HJ0095 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0095 LRB099 14205 MST 38268 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, During the month of September, teens and young adults are beginning a new school year; thousands of students are entering high schools, colleges, and universities throughout the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, In 2013 and 2014, the Illinois General Assembly supported legislation to strengthen laws to punish adults for furnishing alcoholic beverages to persons under the legal drinking age and for knowingly making their property available to teens and young adults for the purpose of underage alcohol consumption; and

WHEREAS, Progress has been made in combating underage drinking in Illinois, but young people between the ages of 15 and 20 who continue to illegally consume alcohol are at a substantially heightened risk of death or serious injury from automobile accidents, falls, drowning, fights, and other hazards resulting from alcohol abuse; and

WHEREAS, Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago recently found that adolescent binge drinking may disrupt gene regulation and brain development in ways that promote anxiety and excessive drinking behaviors; other studies show that teens who start drinking before the age of 15 are up to 4 times more likely to meet the criteria for alcohol dependence at some point in their lives than those who delay drinking until age 21; and

WHEREAS, Over the last decade, the Federal Trade Commission has maintained a consumer awareness program known as "We Don't Serve Teens", highlighting the fact that the vast majority of teens obtain alcohol from parents, older siblings, friends, and other "social sources"; and

WHEREAS, The "We Don't Serve Teens" message has been publicized each fall for many years in the greater Chicago area by Constellation Brands Beer Division in cooperation with retailers throughout the region with billboards, signage, and broadcast messages; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we appreciate the efforts to inform the public about the "We Don't Serve Teens" initiative and we encourage all parents, educators, and concerned citizens in Illinois to learn about the risks of underage drinking and to heed the basic message: Don't provide alcohol to teens. It's unsafe. It's illegal. It's irresponsible; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the Director of the Illinois Liquor Control Commission and to the President of Constellation Brands Beer Division.