Bob CollinsJudging by the immediate — and limited — reaction on Twitter, a bill to allow 16 year olds to drink in the company of parents is a winner, although it probably has little chance of passage.
State Representatives Phyllis Kahn and Joe Mullery filed the bill at the Minnesota House of Representatives today. It allows people as young as 16 to drink in bars and restaurants when accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
The bill also lowers the drinking age (in bars and restaurants) from 21 to 18.
Why limit it to bars and restaurants? This story out of Pennsylvania offers the answer. A woman bought a half-keg of beer for her son’s graduation party. Three kids were killed about a mile away. She just pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in three months. (h/t: Dennis Jansen)
Wisconsin allows kids to drink in bars and restaurants when accompanied by parents (just don’t try to play a guitar). There is no minimum age requirement for kids in those situations.
But some lawmakers in Wisconsin want to set the minimum age to 18. A bill passed the Wisconsin Assembly in 2010. It was opposed by a “youth rights group,” which said it’s a family matter. The bill never made it into law.
