Senate measure seeks underage-drinking curbs

A bill intended to reduce underage drinking won preliminary approval Tuesday in the state Senate.

SB58, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Peter Knudson, R-Brigham City, would require grocery and convenience store clerks who sell beer to undergo special training. The bill would also fund a statewide education campaign.

Young people need to know that underage drinking "could easily have lifelong consequences, not only for them but for others," Knudson said.

The state spends an estimated $326 million annually dealing with the effects of underage drinking, he said. Those impacts include traffic accidents, injuries, crime and alcohol-abuse treatment.

Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Salt Lake, said the number of underage motorists arrested for driving under the influence continues to climb.

"As we come year after year toughening our DUI laws, we need to nip this in the bud," Walker said.

The $4.3 million price tag for the bill is modest, according to Knudson. The money would come from the taxes already collected on beer sales — more than $12 million annually. Only about one-fourth of that revenue has gone to pay for enforcement, treatment and prevention programs in recent years.