Vt. Committee Approves Study of Lower Drinking Age March 28, 2008
News Summary
State liquor officials call it a waste of time, but a Vermont Senate committee has approved legislation that would establish a task force to study the possibility of lowering the state's legal drinking age from 21 to 18, U-Wire reported March 28.
Under the measure introduced by Sen. Hinda Miller, the five-member panel would look at underage and binge drinking in the context of the legal drinking age. If Vermont did eventually lower its drinking age, the state would face the loss of about $17 million in federal highway funds unless Congress grants a waiver to the penalty, which was imposed in the 1980s to compel states to adopt age-21 drinking laws.
William Goggins, director of education and enforcement for the state Liquor Control Board, opposes both Miller's bill and lowering the state's drinking age. "I think it's irresponsible and a waste of valuable time," he said.
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