By Daniel Israeli
Proposed by Legislator Dave Mejias (D- North Massapequa), the law would target private parties; in which adults are fully aware that alcohol is being consumed by underage guests. A similar social host law currently exists in Long Beach, where three summons have already been issued since last year.
The county-wide social host law would fine an adult $250 on a first offense, with a second violation bringing a fine of $500, and a third resulting in a $1,000 fine and possible jail time. Mejias, who called underage drinking an epidemic, is confident that a county-wide social host law will help crack down on the problem.
A Long Beach social host law was lobbied for by the Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking at Long Beach Medical Center, and was passed by the City Council in August of last year. The first of its kind in the state, the Long Beach law differs from the proposed county law by charging any adult over 16 who allows underage drinking to occur at a private home. The county law would only apply to people over the age of 21. Long Beach City Councilman Robert Tepper drafted the final law after receiving the coalition's original proposal. Tepper commented on how local social host laws have been sprouting up in the past year. "It's become a national thing," he said. "The movement has grown, and the law has been modeled across the country in towns and villages. The one we passed in Long Beach is the best around."
Another difference between the Long Beach and proposed county law is how the crime is enforced. In Long Beach, violators can receive a maximum fine of $250 and 15 days in jail, under the ruling determination of a judge, as opposed to the county law with its incremental penalties. "Some thought our law was too harsh, others not harsh enough," Tepper said. "We wanted a law that would stand up and be easy to understand. Something stable."
Long Beach Police Lt. Jack Radin said he feels the county law is not as comprehensive as the city's model, since it doesn't charge adults over the age of 16 as social hosts. "It [county law] does not address what we find to be the more prudent problem," Radin said. Of the three Long Beach summons issued, two were to people under 21 holding drinking parties with friends while their parents were away. The other was a woman in her 40's, who was additionally charged with endangering the welfare of a child. In one of the incidents, the under-21 adult received a fine of $150, while the two other cases are still pending.
A public hearing for the proposed law was held at the board's health and social services committee meeting on June 4, where Mejias clarified the language of the proposal as it currently stands. The legislator wanted to make it clear that only adults who are aware of underage drinking going on in their home will be charged. He added that the language of the law may still change, including a possible amendment that would exclude family gatherings and religious ceremonies.
The bill has full support of Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, according to assistant D.A. Maureen McCormick, who also spoke at the hearing.
The serious consequences of these drinking parties was voiced by a number of speakers, including Great Neck resident Fran Reid. When she allowed her son to throw a party in her basement, she locked up all of the house's liquor in her office. When she went to check on the kids just a half hour into the party, Reid was shocked to see that they were all drunk off a bottle of vodka smuggled inside.
"Later that night I came to discover that my son, who had drank 14 shots of vodka, was choking on his own vomit," Reid said. While she confiscated the bottle and had all the children's parents pick them up, Reid still favored a county law that would deter other parents from holding such parties, a fact made evident after she spoke to a few of them. "I feel that my children can hold their liquor," one parent told Reid on the phone.
According to national statistics, almost 50 percent of teens have reported attending a party where parents condoned underage drinking. A local survey showed that 70 percent of high school seniors have also reported of drinking at such parties. Surveys have also shown that in areas where social host laws have been adopted, there has been a reduction in the amount of underage drinking and driving incidents.
The proposed law will need to go before a full hearing of the board at its next legislative session, and if approved, will be up for vote at the next following session. Mejias noted that while it will be impossible to stop all underage drinking parties in the county, at its least, the law will stop such parties from even occurring.
"At the very least, the law will raise awareness that this is a problem and could have a great deterrent effect on these parties," Mejias said. "We just want to give adults the clear message that allowing minors to drink in their houses is unacceptable."
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