father-time-3.jpgLegislators in Tennessee are taking a swig of something we here at Governing find highly intoxicating: policy innovation.
Earlier this summer, Tennessee quietly (so quietly, in fact, that I can only provide you with this stale link) became the first state with a law requiring carding of beer purchasers regardless of age. That's right, starting July 1, 2007, grandpa's white hair and dentures won't be good enough. To get that six-pack, he'll have to show some ID.
The measure only applies to beer and exempts bars and restaurants. It also expires in a year unless the legislature chooses to extend it.
Plenty of critics view the universal carding provision as a waste of time for clerks and customers alike that won't do anything to cut down on underage drinking. Others see it as a Trojan horse that enabled the approval of measures that were friendlier to beer sellers.
That's because the carding rule passed as part of a larger bill that created a "responsible vendor" program, under which stores that sell beer will be able to voluntarily pay for their clerks to receive training. Stores that do so will no longer have to fear having their beer permits revoked on a first offense for selling beer to underage buyers. The kicker: These lighter penalties will persist, even if lawmakers don't extend universal carding.
Though the critics might be right, as a former sandwich technician and clerk at Arlington, Virginia's now-defunct Big Belly Deli, I can at least see the logic behind this law. If I had sold alcohol to someone underage while the owners were in back, it really would have been my fault, not the owner's.
Plus, it's sometimes tough to tell someone's age at a glance. I once asked a somewhat youthful-looking man for ID, only to have him reveal a head of graying hair under his cap.
