Conservativa

The bill (HB 719) introduced by Bill Janis that flew through the House but died in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee, will, according to the Times-Dispatch, be re-introduced today by Sen. Ken Stolle, who is former police officer. The RTD says:

Last week, Janis argued that the mere possession of alcohol by a minor who does not drive now carries a stiffer penalty than an underage drinker could receive for getting behind the wheel.

State criminal justice officials have said that changing the penalty from a status offense to a misdemeanor could prevent the state from collecting more than $800,000 in federal aid for juvenile-justice programs. Stolle said he wanted the bill to be reconsidered after members of both parties on the committee said they did not fully understand the measure.

Okay then.