Bill Proposes Lowering Wisconsin Drinking Age to 19

A bill to lower Wisconsin's drinking age from 21-years-old to 19 years of age is being circulated in the state legislature, but it would have to clear some high hurdles for it to garner serious consideration.

State Rep. Adam Jarchow of Balsam Lake is the main sponsor of the bill, and said the bill would save "countless hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars" enforcing drinking laws, freeing up law enforcement to tackle other offenses.

"At 19 years old, there are very few things that you cannot do," Jarchow said, according to WISN. "Nineteen-year-olds have legally been an adult for one year, can enlist in the military and be sent thousands of miles away to fight, but can't "enjoy an alcoholic beverage," he said.

Funding At Stake

But there's a catch, and this one might be the biggest for state lawmakers: if Wisconsin's legal drinking age were to drop to 19 years of age, the state stands to lose its federal highway money. That amounts to $53.7 million in 2017. Under federal law, any state with a drinking age under 21 years of age stands to lose 8 percent of its federal high way funding.

According to media reports, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) is apparently opposed to the bill. The bill would also have to gain the approval of Gov. Scott Walker in addition to both houses of the state legislature.

MADD: "No Way"

Mothers Against Drunk Driving, issued a statement, and appeared horrified over the proposal.

"MADD's mission is to eliminate drunk driving, and lowering the minimum drinking age would add to the terrible toll that already plagues our country because of drinking and driving."

According to Wisconsin Department of Transportation figures, during 2015, 28,790 people were arrested for Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) in Wisconsin, including 275 persons who were under 18. Of the 5,121 drinking drivers involved in crashes in 2015, 363 were under age 21 and 4,747 were age 21 or older.

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