Byron Dorgan: “this amendment very simply deals with the question of open containers of alcohol in automobiles and moving vehicles on…”

“this amendment very simply deals with the question of open containers of alcohol in automobiles and moving vehicles on the roadways. Some perhaps will not believe this, but there are some locations in this country where it is still legal to put one fist around the neck of a bottle of whiskey, use the other hand to put the key in the ignition, and then with a hand on the steering wheel and a hand on a bottle of whiskey drive off down the road. And it is perfectly legal. Some would say that can't be. Yes. It is. It is the case. In some parts of this country, you can't be drunk while you drive, but you still can drink while you drive, and you are perfectly legal. I don't think there is any intersection in any part of this country where you or your family or your neighbors ought to meet a vehicle, an automobile, that is being driven by someone who is drinking alcohol, in a circumstance where it is legal for them to drink alcohol while meeting you at that intersection. That is unforgivable, in my judgment. I have been trying, I suppose for 10 or 12 years, to get this done. I offer this amendment again. It simply says to the States: You must have a prohibition on open containers of alcohol in State law. If not, you lose 2 percent of your highway funds. And for up to 4 years you can get the funding restored if you pass the prohibition, but you must have a prohibition of open containers that meets the Federal requirement. We have that federal requirement.”