SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Underage Drinking 
Prevention Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) While underage drinking has been on the 
decline for more than 20 years, the consumption of 
beverage alcohol by underage youth is an ongoing 
national concern. According to the Substance Abuse 
and Mental Health Services Administration, 10.8 
million Americans between the ages of 12 to 20 for 
whom alcohol is illegal report current alcohol use, 
approximately 28 percent of that age group. 
(2) Data from the National Academy of 
Sciences/Institute of Medicine, the Federal Trade 
Commission, the Century Council and the American 
Medical Association show that most youth who drink 
obtain alcohol primarily through noncommercial 
sources, such as family and friends. 
(3) According to research conducted by Teen-
age Research Unlimited (TRU) for the Century 
Council, 10–18 year olds say parents and school 
teachers should begin discussing the dangers and 
consequences of underage drinking with children by 
age 11. 
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(4) The role of parents in reducing underage 
drinking, particularly among middle-school aged 
children, is critical. Numerous studies confirm the 
crucial role parents play in shaping the behavior and 
decisionmaking skills of their children. For example, 
a study reported in Health Education and Behavior, 
February 2001, suggests that parental involvement 
is associated with a 67 percent less likelihood of 
drinking. 
(5) The Surgeon General’s 2007 Call to Action 
to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking recog-
nizes that significant social transitions, such as mov-
ing from elementary school to middle school or from 
middle school to high school may increase the likeli-
hood that adolescents will use alcohol, in part be-
cause they increase adolescent stress levels. Addi-
tionally, evidence shows that youth who spend more 
time engaged in volunteering, sports, music, aca-
demics and leadership are less likely to engage in 
risky behaviors, such as alcohol use. 
(6) According to a 2004 study published in the 
Journal of Adolescent Health, ‘‘Adults’ Approval 
and Adolescents’ Alcohol Use,’’ one in five teens re-
ported drinking alcohol that was provided by a par-
ent or a friend’s parent at a party. Additionally, re-
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searchers found that such provision of alcohol sig-
nificantly increased the likelihood of regular and 
binge drinking. 
(7) A 2003 report submitted to Congress by the 
National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine 
recommended that underage drinking cannot be suc-
cessfully addressed by focusing on youth alone. Two 
out of three teens (aged 13 to 18) said it is easy to 
get alcohol from their homes without their parents 
knowing it. Thirty-three percent of teens responded 
that it is easy to obtain alcohol from their own par-
ents (knowingly); this increases to 40 percent when 
it is from a friend’s parent. 
(8) The Surgeon General’s 2007 Call to Action 
to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking supports 
holding adults accountable for underage drinking at 
house parties, even when those adults are not at 
home. 
(9) In nearly 20 States, legislatures are consid-
ering bills to increase penalties for adults who pro-
vide alcohol to people under the age of 21. Those 
penalties include higher fines, driver’s license sus-
pensions and even jail. 
(10) The Surgeon General’s 2007 Call to Ac-
tion to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking in-
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cludes the need for complete and timely information 
on patterns and trends in youth alcohol consumption 
in order to develop and evaluate prevention strate-
gies. Additionally, reports from the General Account-
ing Office and the Department of Health and 
Human Services demonstrate the need for better 
data collection and effective evaluation of on-going 
programs. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of the Congress that: 
(1) Understanding which programs are effective 
in reducing underage drinking will maximize scarce 
Federal resources and help the nation confront un-
derage drinking in a more effective and cost-efficient 
manner and enable local communities to implement 
the most effective tactics to reduce underage drink-
ing. 
(2) Evaluation is necessary. Therefore the Sub-
stance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminis-
tration should explore ways to expand and improve 
evaluation efforts while preserving and continuing 
current programs and funding in the interest of 
achieving maximum effectiveness. 
(3) The Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration should continue to improve 
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evaluation efforts and national outcome measures 
(NOMS) reporting in the Substance Abuse Preven-
tion and Treatment Block Grant and other grant 
programs, when appropriate. 
(4) Federal agencies should strive to evaluate 
all federally funded underage drinking programs and 
modify programs as needed to reach maximum effec-
tiveness in reducing underage drinking. 
SEC. 4. ENFORCEMENT AND PUBLIC EDUCATION GRANTS 
TO REDUCE SOCIAL SOURCES OF UNDERAGE 
DRINKING. 
(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are 
to— 
(1) increase enforcement of underage drinking 
that occurs at house parties across the nation and 
instances of adults providing alcohol to people under 
age 21; 
(2) inform the public of the legal consequences 
of providing alcohol to people under the minimum 
drinking age of 21; 
(3) educate the public that the majority of peo-
ple who drink underage are obtaining their alcohol 
from social sources such as family and friends; and 
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