107th Congress

National Media Campaign to Prevent Underage Drinking Act of 2001

H.R. 1509 and S. 866

Background

According to a March 2002 article published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol, a study conducted by the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department of the Boston University School of Public Health reported that 1998 and 1999 studies show that more than 2 million of the 8 million college students in the United States drove under the influence of alcohol, more than 500,000 were unintentionally injured while under the influence of alcohol, and more than 600,000 were hit or assaulted by another student who had been drinking. According to the same Boston University study, it was estimated that more than 1,400 students aged 18 to 24 and enrolled in 2-year and 4-year colleges died in 1998 from alcohol-related unintentional injuries. Longstanding cultural influences perpetuate student patterns of drinking. Of frequent binge drinkers, 73 percent of males and 68 percent of females cited drinking to get drunk as an important reason for drinking, according to "Binge Drinking on Campus: Results of a National Study," from the Harvard School of Public Health. A 2000 report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services entitled "Healthy People 2010" observed that "the perception that alcohol use is socially acceptable correlates with the fact that more than 80 percent of American youth consume alcohol before their 21st birthday, whereas the lack of social acceptance of other drugs correlates with comparatively low rates of use. Similarly, widespread societal expectations that young persons will engage in binge drinking may encourage this highly dangerous form of alcohol consumption." Eleven bills were introduced in the 107th Congress to recognize the problem or address in some manner the issue of underage drinking.

Provisions of the Legislation/Impact on NIH

H.R. 1509/S. 866, the National Media Campaign to Prevent Underage Drinking Act of 2001, would have required the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop, implement, and conduct a national media campaign based upon reputable academic and scientific research on youth attitudes and the prevalence of underage drinking in the United States, as well as on the science and research on mass media prevention campaigns. The bill explicitly stated that in developing the national media campaign, the Secretary should "supplement (and not supplant) existing efforts" by State, local, private, and nonprofit entities to reduce and prevent underage drinking, and coordinate with other Federal agencies and departments, including the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The Secretary would have been required to submit a comprehensive strategy, a progress report after 1 year, and annual reports to Congress. No other action specifically mentioned the National Institutes of Health (NIH) nor its Institutes. NIH would have been required to participate in the development of the Secretary's campaign.

Status and Outlook

On April 4, 2001, Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) introduced H.R. 1509, the National Media Campaign to Prevent Underage Drinking Act of 2001. A companion bill, S. 866, was introduced on May 10 by Senator Harry Reid (D-NV). H.R. 1509 had 82 cosponsors and was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. S. 866 had 18 cosponsors and was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. There was no further action on this legislation during the 107th Congress.