SB 421

Under current law, a person who has not attained the legal drinking age of 21

years (underage person), and who is not accompanied by his or her parent, guardian,

or spouse who has attained the legal drinking age, may not knowingly possess or

consume alcohol beverages. An underage person who violates this prohibition is

subject to various possible penalties depending on the circumstances, including a

minimum forfeiture of $100 and a maximum forfeiture of $1,000.

Current law also prohibits a person of any age from possessing or consuming

alcohol beverages on premises owned, rented, or under the control of a public,

parochial, or private elementary school, middle school, or high school (school

premises), unless written permission is obtained from the school administrator and

this permission is consistent with applicable laws, ordinances, and school board

policies. A person who violates this prohibition is subject to a forfeiture of not more

than $200, except that an underage person who possesses or consumes alcohol

beverages on school premises is subject to the penalties identified above.

This bill prohibits an underage person from being on school premises with any

detectable alcohol concentration in his or her blood or breath, regardless of whether

the underage person is accompanied by his or her parent, guardian, or spouse who

has attained the legal drinking age. An underage person who violates this

prohibition is subject to a forfeiture of not more than $200. The bill also specifies that

a school administrator's written permission to possess or consume alcohol beverages

on school premises does not apply to underage persons.