2021 Bills We Oppose: Limit Minor Compliance Penalties Bill HB0683 SB0979

Serving alcohol to anyone under the age of 21 is illegal. MADD believes that establishments which violate this law should be held accountable each time they do it. Underage drinking is dangerous. Not only does it damage a youth’s growing and developing brain, research shows that the younger someone starts drinking, the more likely they are to become alcohol dependent. Every time a Tennessee restaurant, bar, grocery, or retail store serves an underage patron, they are endangering that youth. This bill would limit an establishment’s liability to a single citation per instance instead of holding them accountable for every youth they are putting at risk.

What can I do to help prevent the Limit Minor Compliance Penalties bill from becoming a law?

To stop this bill from becoming law, we will need your support! On the road to becoming a law, there are several committees through which the bill must pass before it is even eligible to go before the full House and/or Senate to be voted into law. It will likely alternate between committees in the House and committees in the Senate as it moves through the process. Please bookmark this page and follow us on our @MADDTennessee Facebook page for updates about the status of this bill and who we need you to contact to let your voice be heard. YOU can help stop this bill from becoming law by emailing committee members and your own legislators telling them that you want them to vote against this bill! Keep reading for instructions on who to contact, when, and even ideas of what to say.

Where is this bill currently in the process?

Below this Dead End Roadmap, which shows where we currently are in the process, you’ll find a link to the committee currently up for review of the bill.

Dead End Limit Minor Compliance Penalties Bill

Who do I contact to ask them to vote AGAINST this bill and when?

Listed below, under “Committee Member Links” you can see which committee is currently reviewing the bill. Look for our note that says “PLEASE EMAIL THIS COMMITTEE NOW.” Then click the link to get the list of committee members and email each member to ask for to oppose this bill.

You can also click HERE and enter your address to identify the lawmakers assigned to the district where you live. They are charged with voting in a way that represents YOU, a constituent of their district. Please be sure to also contact each of them also and ask them to oppose this bill!

Committee Member Links

House Cities & Counties Subcommittee – Passed to this committee 2/20/21. Review date TBD. PLEASE EMAIL THIS COMMITTEE NOW.

Senate State and Local Government Committee– Passed to this committee 2/22/21. Review date TBD. PLEASE EMAIL THIS COMMITTEE NOW.

What should I say when asking legislators to vote against this bill?

Not sure what to say exactly? We have a sample of text below that you can copy and paste to use in your email if you’d like. Use it as it is, or adjust the wording as needed to personalize it and let the legislator know why this bill means something to you, and why you’d like to see it become law in Tennessee. Just be sure you include bill number, HB0683 (Beck)/SB0979 (Campbell), in your email.

Sample Email Text

Dear Sir or Madame,

I am writing to ask you to oppose HB0683 (Beck)/SB0979 (Campbell) which would limit minor compliance penalties. As we all know, serving alcohol to anyone under the age of 21 is illegal. I believe that establishments which violate this law should be held accountable EACH time they do it. Underage drinking is dangerous. Not only does it damage a youth’s growing and developing brain, research shows that the younger someone starts drinking, the more likely they are to become alcohol dependent. Every time a Tennessee restaurant, bar, grocery, or retail store serves an underage patron, they are endangering that youth. It deeply concerns me that this bill would limit an establishment’s liability to a single citation per instance instead of holding them accountable for every single youth they put at risk. I hope I can count on your vote AGAINST this legislation so that it does not become law.

Sincerely,