Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the Senate on January 24, 2007

Click here to view bill details.

I think this law is great it really encourages teens who may be drinking to use a designated drivers and really the police have no business just running random test on people.I think law enforcement needs some more restrictions on it they seem to get that God coomplex and just think they can do anything they want.

giving breathalyzer tests to ANYONE who is not driving? is it against the law to simply consume alcohol? while i will admit that underage drinking is a problem, that doesn't give a law enforcement officer the right to test juveniles at random simply because they are a passenger in a car. they SHOULDN'T do it to adults, and they SHOULDN'T do it to juveniles. i see once again that the 4th amendment to the united states constitution is null and void in michigan.

Michigan’s law regarding the administration of breathalyzer tests to minors who are not operating motor vehicles is a travesty. It invites abusive police practices and is a lawsuit magnet, as its history already tells us. Eventually the law will be found unconstitutional. It is time for the State to get proactive, and change this law to reflect true American Constitutional ideals.

In Westland they will even stop kids that are wlking and ask them to submit to a breath test. If we don't get control of this soon we will have a true police state

Once again we are looking to pass laws that will tie law enforcement’s hands and send the message to our children that breaking the law is ok. Underage drinking laws are not about removing rights they are about saving kids lives. Only 38% of the underage drinking related deaths in the United States are to due to vehicle accidents that involve underage drinking. The other 62% of underage drinking related deaths are homicide, suicide and unintentional accidents (NIAAA, Alcohol Alerts No. 67). Unintentional accidents such as drowning, falls and alcohol poisoning. I have no doubt that anyone of those kid’s loved ones wishes law enforcement would have been able to intervene. Drinking under the age of 21 is illegal! If law enforcement has reason to believe that a kid has been drinking they have a duty to enforce that law. We as parents and community members need to support law enforcement not undermined them. Passing this legislation would tie law enforcement’s hands, increase the number of underage drinking related deaths and send the wrong message to our children. E.J. McAndrew, B.S.W. Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Mother of Three

message? what message are YOU sending your kids? MUST you have law enforcement do EVERYTHING for you? it is PRIMARILY YOUR JOB to keep YOUR CHILDREN out of the alcohol. no, it isn't easy. but no, it isn't impossible. don't let law enforcement take over another one of YOUR JOBS. this bill sends a message that the government must and will watch over you. where will governmental intervention end? how will we stop them from breathalyzing you and I?

"if law enforcement has a REASON". if this law passes, it will no longer have to have a REASON to stop you (interfere with your liberty), test you (cause you to incriminate yourself), and punish you both physically (putting you in jail) or financially (fine you heavily). this kind of behavior by law enforcement is EXACTLY what the 4th and 5th amendment to the united states constitution was written to prevent. are the police going to be prevented from testing adults? of course not. are the police going to be punished if they do? of course not. are the police going to use this to violate your rights? of course they are. if you think that "random stops" in an automobile are fun, wait till you see what happens when THIS law passes.