Underage military members would be able to enter a bar and consume alcohol in Wisconsin with a possible fine of $5 under a proposed Assembly bill.
In a public hearing Thursday, state Reps. Mark Pettis, R-Hertel, and Terry Musser, R-Black River Falls, supported Assembly Bill 651 in front of the Committee on State Affairs. The bill would allow 19- and 20-year-old members of the U.S. military to enter a bar and consume alcoholic beverages with a valid state ID card and a valid military identification card.
The underage drinkers would be subject to a fine of $5, and the bar could also receive a surcharge of $5, all of which would be deposited in the Veterans Trust Fund.
'[The soldiers] have been without their mother and father's guidance while serving in wartime,' Pettis said. '[We need] to treat them with respect.'
State Rep. Barbara Toles, D-Milwaukee, said she was concerned about the bill.
'[They] will be with friends who are not in the military, buying drinks for them,' Toles said.
Pettis said only military personnel with valid identification would be allowed and addressed the issue of drunk driving.
'Drinking and driving won't be a problem [because] the Zero Tolerance law will still be under effect,' Pettis said.
