Sample Bill

BEST BILL FROM THE 2011

BILL # 2011 –107

Bill Sponsor:  Hattie Welch                                               Bill Co-Sponsor(s): Gillian Welch

School / Club / YMCA Erskine Academy                            Endorsed By: Lori Dube
Referred to the committee on: Business and Labor

An Act Relating To:
Prohibiting OUI offenders to buy alcohol from stores in Maine

Be it enacted by the State YMCA of Maine’s 2011 Youth in Government Program as follows:

1. SECTION 1:   The State of Maine will mandate everyone purchasing alcohol to prove their eligibility

2. by carding them each time liquor is purchased no matter what age the consumer is.

3. SECTION 2: Cashiers and sales people will be able to tell if the consumer is eligible to purchase

4. alcohol by a specific marking on their license or state ID. If a consumer does not have a license  to

5. prove identification, they will be refused sale.

6. SECTION 3: Persons become ineligible to buy alcohol if they are charged with Operating Under the

7. Influence of alcohol.

8. SECTION 4:  In addition to these penalties already in effect, someone found operating under the

9. influence will receive a specially marked license, after the suspension, disallowing them to purchase

10. alcohol for one year. After the year penalty, the person can renew their licence and receive a new one

11. with out the marking.

JUSTIFICATION:

Many innocent lives are effected in some way by alcohol related issues. If drunk drivers can be kept off the roads and banned from buying the substance which causes them to act irrationally, the better our state will become. Although the state of Maine will be loosing money collected from taxes, the humanity and fiscal earnings with this law outweigh the tax loss.   This bill will only pertain to Maine residence and tourists with out of state ID's will not be held to this standard. The hope with this bill is to influence other states to adopt the same legislature.

STATEMENT OF FACT:

The total estimated cost of providing alcohol related treatment in Maine in 2000, based on reported annual revenue, was $19.3 million. Of this amount, the largest proportion, $5.2 million (26.7%), was paid out of State General Funds, followed by Medicaid, $4.4 million (22.8%) and Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant monies, $4.3 million (22.4%). Alcohol abuse was responsible for $69.8 million or 72% of the total morbidity costs in total, the State of Maine paid 26% of all deaths in Maine in 2002 were alcohol related car crashes. In 2009 the percent rose to 33%.  If someone is found Operating Under the Influence, according to laws already in place: If you are under 21 years of age, Maine has a special law for you. If you are found operating, or attempting to operate, a motor vehicle with any measurable amount of alcohol in your body, you will lose your license for one year. If you refuse a test, you will lose your license for at least 18 months. If you have a passenger under 21 years of age, an additional 180 day suspension will be imposed. Minimum Court Imposed Penalties for OUI:

The number of admissions to Maine’s treatment facilities in 2000 totaled 16,706, representing 11,620 individual clients. The largest proportion of admissions were clients in the 35-44 age group (34.6%).
In 2002, the State on Maine earned 42,891 dollars in sales tax on alcohol alone.   

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATION: + $19,257,109

REFERENCES:

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=399
http://www.maine.gov/dafs/bablo/alcohol_bev/index.shtml
http://www.alcoholalert.com/drunk-driving-statistics-maine.html

BILL SUMMARY

The State of Maine will prohibit persons charged with operating under the influence (OUI) from purchasing alcohol for one year.

.