Cord Byrd: “I will vote against tabling the Harkin amendment. It is a good amendment with the worthwhile goal of protecting the…”

“I will vote against tabling the Harkin amendment. It is a good amendment with the worthwhile goal of protecting the health and lives of young Americans. Both the tobacco and alcohol industries have received well-deserved criticism in recent years for a variety of questionable or unsavory practices, including what many of their critics have identified as the use of advertising campaigns specifically intended to entice young people to try, and then become hooked on, their products. In response, the tobacco industry has been attacked at both the State and Federal levels, but, unfortunately, much less attention has been directed toward the alcohol industry. Certainly, tragedies like the recent alcohol-related death of a Louisiana State University student demonstrate that a national effort to save our young people from the destructive forces of alcohol is warranted. This amendment to the Agriculture appropriations bill will boost the ability of the States to enforce age and identification requirements for the purchase of cigarettes, but, importantly, at my request, the amendment also addresses the need to shore up the enforcement of checks for the purchase by minors of alcohol. The amendment encourages States to couple their youth-smoking prevention efforts with State laws that prohibit underage drinking. These issues go hand in hand in preventing our youth from using destructive substances.”