Local students testify for bill

Three students from Superior testified before legislators on behalf of House Bill 20 back in January. Kalyn Plouffe, Savannah Moore and Sarah Wuebkes, along with other high schoolers from Montana, testified for the bill, currently in the senate, which would authorize county social host liability ordinances.

The bill, if passed, would allow counties and cities to impost a social host ordinance. Right now, counties do not have the authority to enact such an ordinance at a local level. The bill would allow each individual county or town to decide if they want to implement a social host ordinance.

The ordinance is a tool counties can use to reduce youth access to alcohol. This ordinance would allow property owners or renters, whoever controls the property and knowingly allows underage drinking to occur on their property, to be held accountable.

Representative Gordon Hendrick has been carrying the bill for the students. Back in April, at a town hall meeting in Superior, high school students said that one of the number one places that kids their age get alcohol is at home.

Moore and Plouffe said that they weren’t very nervous to speak before legislators back in January. Plouffe had testified for the bill before and Moore served as a page in the house before she had to testify. Both girls feel strongly that the bill would help to curb the underage drinking problem.

“I just said that I think they should help support passing the bill because it would help our communities,” Plouffe said. “I brought up the point that parents’ main goal is to keep their children safe, but by supplying alcohol, they are not keeping them safe. They are sending a mixed message.”

Moore said that she told the legislators that  “we’re all kids who are underage fighting for this.”

“It’s a big problem here in Mineral County,” Moore said. “We as kids want this.”

Plouffe said that she’s seen how underage drinking has affected lives and she wants to see the problem end.

“I know that this bill won’t stop all teens from drinking, but it is going to punish those people who supply them with alcohol and hopefully make it harder for teens to get it,” Plouffe said. “I think a lot of teens today are getting alcohol from their parents or people who are of age. I think this bill is a huge part of solving the problem.”

Both girls said that it was neat to get together and to really do something. Moore and Plouffe both have been active within the schools antidrug programs. Plouffe said that it was neat to see all the students who showed up and came to testify, some even on their own time.

Hendrick wrote in his weekly column that it was “one of the highlights” of his career to watch all the students come and testify on the bill.

“It was a sight to behold,” he wrote.

The bill passed from committee with a majority of the votes, 19-0. In the second reading of the bill, it was passed 87-12 votes. Before being transmitted to the senate, the bill passed a third reading with the majority, 90-10. To keep track of the bill’s progress through the session, visit http://leg.mt.gov.