A statehouse bill that charges social hosts who knowingly supply alcohol to minors failed in a South Dakota Senate committee Wednesday.
SB94 charges anyone who knowingly supplies alcohol to minors with a Class 1 misdemeanor, if the minors are under the age of 18. A Class 2 misdemeanor would be charged if the minors are 18-20 years old.
The bill was touted as a means to prevent parents from knowingly supplying alcohol to minors and arresting them for it. The bill's third section provides a defense for those instances. Any host who finds out about the illegal consumption and attempts to stop it would not be charged.
However, if the host were to have knowledge of illegal consumption but was not on the premises then he or she could be still be charged with a misdemeanor.
The South Dakota Senate State Affairs Committee killed Senate Bill 94 with a vote of 6 to 3.
Click here to read the full bill
