Rogers / 5 Senator Narloch

S.S._____
A Joint Resolution

To amend the Constitution of the United States

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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE
This act may be cited as the 28th Amendment of the Constitution.
SECTION 2. FINDINGS
Congress hereby finds and declares that,
1) For instance, when comparing first-time DUI offenders with repeat offenders, it was found that a person with a
prior DUI has 4.1 times the risk of being involved in a fatal automobile accident.
2) Nearly one-third of all DUI arrests and DUI convictions involved repeat drunk driving offenders.
3) Alcohol abuse is costing Health Care 25 billion dollars a year
4) Even those who have not been directly touched help pay the 132 billion yearly price tag of drunk driving.
5) More than 16 percent of weekend, nighttime drivers tested positive for illegal, prescription, or over-the-counter
drugs. Of these, almost a quarter also had alcohol in their system.
6) An estimated 32 percent of fatal car crashes involve an intoxicated driver or pedestrian.
7) The 10,076 alcohol-impaired fatalities in 2013 accounted for about one out of three highway deaths on U.S. roads.
8) National Association of Drug Court Professionals, a Virginia-based nonprofit, which suggest that a state saves
3.36 dollars in avoided criminal justice costs for every 1 dollar it invests in drug courts.
9) A 2010 AAA poll measuring the Traffic Safety Culture of Americans, found that almost 79 percent strongly
supported requiring drivers who have been convicted of DWI at least once, to use equipment that tests them for
alcohol, i.e. an ignition interlock device. Also, 71 percent of the respondents in the poll felt that drunk driving is a
serious threat to their personal safety.
10) After analyzing accident data, it was found that 18 percent of all fatal motor vehicle accidents in the United
States involved a person using drugs.
11) Most people drink for the stimulant effect, such as a beer or glass of wine taken to loosen up. But if a person
consumes more than the body can handle, they then experience alcohols depressant effect.
12) The main advantage of extending liability to drinkeries is to add an incentive to keep the intoxicated off the
roads.
13) In 2010, there were approximately 189,000 emergency rooms visits by persons under age 21 for injuries and
other conditions linked to alcohol
14) Alcohol contributes to over 200 diseases and injury-related health conditions, most notably alcohol dependence,
liver cirrhosis, cancers, and injuries
15) The law requires you to ask anyone who looks under 26 years of age for proper identification
SECTION 3. STATUTORY LANGUAGE
The Constitution of the United States shall be amended as follows;
Section 1) After two years from the ratification of this article federal funding of state highways shall be limited to all
States that obey the 28th Amendment of the Constitution requiring specialized marks on the identification cards of
all repeated, meaning two or more, drunk driving offenders reported. In the case of those several States that do not
abide by the 28th Amendment of the Constitution funding of state highways will be solely by the state government.
Additionally, an identification card shall be present in order to purchase any alcoholic beverage and those with the
repeated offender mark shall be denied the right to buy alcohol except in liquor stores.
Section 2) The Congress and all States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Section 3) This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by
the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within two years of the submission date hereof
to the States by Congress. This amendment shall be reviewed in 10 years from the date passed.

Health care is directly affected by alcohol abusers. The U.S. Government has worked hard to make healthcare affordable to
all. Alcohol consumption is both direct and indirectly related to a large percentage of hospital admissions. According to National
Institution on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Alcohol contributes to over 200 diseases and injury-related health conditions, most
notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers, and injuries ("Alcohol Facts and Statistics"). All these diseases need treatment
and check-ups to keep from becoming deadly. Alcohol related medical care has effects on insurance rates, state budgets, and our
national debt. The combined total of these costs has become enormous. Alcohol abuse is costing Health Care $25 billion dollars a
year(Trends & Statistics). Health Care does not need to become more affordable; rather, decreasing the incidence of drunk driving
would have a significant impact on saving healthcare dollars. The 28th Amendment will help lower the cost of alcoholism which is
a heavy burden on our healthcare system.
The 28th Amendment of the Constitution will decrease the number of alcoholic DUI repeat offenders. Research shows
repeat DUI offenders account for a large number of arrests made by law enforcement. According to Drunk Drivings Stats.org,
Nearly one-third of all DUI arrests and DUI convictions involved repeat drunk driving offenders ("Drunk Driving
Statistics").Repeat offenders are common and suggests that more drastic measures must to taken to decrease this rate of recidivism.
Additionally, it is known that state laws do not require every purchaser of alcoholic beverages to be carded. The law requires you
to ask anyone who looks under 26 years of age for proper identification ("Indiana State Excise Police"). It is left up to the owner
of the venue to make it a policy to require the presence of an identification card in order to sell. With the implement of the 28th
Amendment, a driver licence shall be presented at the time of purchase of an alcoholic beverage. Convicted DUI offenders would
have an identification mark on their licence which would identify them as being legally banned from purchasing or consuming
alcohol at drinking establishments. Bars would be liable for checking the identification of all patrons to ascertain their right to
purchase or consume alcohol. The main advantage of extending liability to drinkeries is to add an incentive to keep the intoxicated
off the roads. A study has found such laws reduce auto fatalities by 3 percent to 11 percent... ("Maryland Case Shows Bars Should
Be Liable for Drunk Patrons").The 28th Amendment will demand vendors of alcoholic beverages to card everyone, no matter the
appearance, and require the state to mark those who are DUI offenders on their cards.By marking DUI reapted offenders, the
purchase of alcohol will be denied to those with the mark in order to eliminate crimes cause by these repeat offenders.
The number of deaths directly related to alcoholism would decrease with the implementation of the 28th Amendment. The
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence states clearly, An estimated 32% of fatal car crashes involve an intoxicated
driver or pedestrian ("Alcohol, Drugs and Crime").Drinking alters ones state of mind and prolongs the reaction time making it a
leading cause in car crashes. Car crashes are only a portion of the the total deaths that are affected by drinking. Another portion of
the totals deaths by alcohol is assigned to underage drinking. In 2010, there were approximately 189,000 emergency rooms visits
by persons under age 21 for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol ("Fact Sheets - Binge Drinking" ). Underage drinking is
illegal and it is a red flag that immediate action needs to be taken to demand carding. By executing the 28th Amendment, fatalities
by car crashes will decrease significantly.