Two alcohol measures pass

Wednesday, April 27, 2005 | 11:05 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Two bills toughening the laws on liquor -- one applying to parents who supply alcohol to minors and the other dealing with drunken drivers -- were approved in the Senate Tuesday.

Assembly Bill 337, approved 19-1 and sent to the Assembly, would make adults -- including parents -- liable for any damages caused by minors who had been supplied alcohol by those adults.

Sen. Valerie Wiener, D-Las Vegas, said a study last year showed Nevada ranked fourth in the nation in the money spent on violence, traffic accidents and teen pregnancies associated with underage drinking.

The study indicated that one-third of minors who consumed alcohol got it from their homes, Wiener said. She said the survey also found that 20 percent of those who drank felt their parents approved or didn't care if they attended parties where alcohol was served.

Sen. Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas, said parents sometimes don't know about alcohol consumption by minors in their homes. "Parents may not know what is going on at 3 a.m. in their driveway," she said.

But Sen. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, said the bill makes it clear the parent is responsible only if he or she knew the underage drinking was going on.

The bill also says a person who permits a person under 21 to drink or use drugs is liable in a civil suit for any damages the young person may cause.

The parent can also be charged with a misdemeanor that carries a fine of $5,000. It allows a judge to waive the fine and instead order 48 to 96 hours of community service as well as completion of a professional counseling program.

The lone dissenter was Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas.

Senate Bill 344, approved 19-0, would create a heavier penalty for a person caught driving with a high blood-alcohol level.

Currently a person with a 0.08 blood-alcohol level is considered too drunk to legally drive. For the first offense the criminal penalty is a minimum of two days in jail or 48 to 96 hours of community service.

SB344 , which goes to the Assembly, says a driver whose blood-alcohol level is found to be 0.18 or higher would face at least six days in jail or 72 to 144 hours of community service. The minimum fine would remain at $400.

For a second offense within seven years, the bill provides the minimum penalty would be 14 days in jail or at least 14 days of residential confinement. The current minimum is 10 days in jail or residential confinement for 14 days. The minimum fine remains $750.

For a third offense in seven years a person would receive a minimum term of one year in prison and be fined at least $4,000.

The bill says a person convicted of a 0.18 or higher blood-alcohol level could not be given probation and the sentence could not be suspended.

The Senate approved 20-0 a third bill dealing with alcohol, allowing grocery stores to serve samples of liquor on the premises. But convenience stores and stores at which the sale of food for consumption off premises is incidential would not be authorized to serve samples.

Senate Bill 233 also authorizes a person to operate a wine-making instruction facility, where it would be allowed to serve wine by the glass on the premises. The bill also goes to the Assembly.