St. Paul, Minnesota — Today, the House passed HF 946, a bill to grant immunity to underage Minnesotans seeking medical or 911 assistance due to drinking. The bill is limited to protecting underage Minnesotans from tickets for underage consumption or possession of alcohol when seeking assistance, provided that the person who initiates the contact is the first person to make a report, provides a name and contact information, and remains and cooperates with authorities at the scene. The protection will extend to the person receiving medical assistance and one or two persons acting in concert with the caller, provided they also cooperate.
“This is a common sense way to save the lives of teens and young adults who may not contact authorities because they are afraid of getting in trouble for drinking underage,” said bill co-author Zachary Dorholt (DFL-St. Cloud). “Parents and teachers can and should warn children of the dangers of underage drinking, but we all know that this drinking occurs and takes the lives of young people every year. This bill faces the reality that young people are going to experiment with alcohol and will save lives on campuses across the state.”
The bill was brought forward by college organizations and passed on a bipartisan vote of 124-8.
Rep. Dorholt can be reached by phone at (651) 296-6612 or by email at rep.zachary.dorholt@house.mn.
-30-