By John Livengood
Indianapolis
As of July 1, Indiana law will require any licensed server selling alcohol to card anyone purchasing alcohol for off-premise consumption — no excuses.
The law, which was recently signed by Gov. Mitch Daniels, will require customers to provide a valid ID with a photo and date of birth. Anyone failing to check for valid ID in a sales transaction can be cited with a criminal penalty misdemeanor.
For decades, voluntary retail practices often set the bar lower — such as carding anyone who “appeared” to be under 30. But a gut instinct isn’t the same as requiring proof of a valid ID and checking to see if that ID is legitimate.
Some Indiana legislators had resisted making this a mandatory requirement. They felt that a mandatory ID check would add too much time to a retail transaction and cause delays in service. Others worried it would offend seniors or veterans who obviously meet age limits and do not want their IDs examined.
But legislators were convinced this year and now Indiana is one only of a few states requiring the mandatory checks.
The Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers has supported mandatory carding legislation for years and it’s now a reality for our members — and all retailers. No more excuses and no more delays.
The law should also leave little room for error when underage youth attempt to make an illegal purchase. And while a Class B misdemeanor in the new carding law may seem like a small penalty in the alcohol sales environment, it’s a start to making all retailers more responsible.
Our association is also being proactive and launching ServSafe Alcohol training — part of a national program and approved for use by many state and city regulatory agencies. And we’re not waiting until July 1 to get started with training. Members are arranging their classes now around the state. And many of our members are bumping up their dates to begin the practice of mandatory carding and informing their customers.
Consumers will need to be ready with IDs in hand. Everyone who makes an alcohol purchase will be checked beginning July 1. And every clerk and server should be trained, tested and certified, to make those checks a reality.
John Livengood is president and CEO of Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers.
Letters
Viewpoint: Carding to buy alcohol; it's the new law
- Letters
-
-
Letter: Union attitude must prevail for recovery
Any recovery for the middle class, in the recovery of our economy, will be led by the recovery of the union attitude in America. Nothing else.
- Letter: Founding fathers were humanists
-
Letter: Lutz not representing the working class
I feel bad that Rep. Lutz (R) is sad, because Democrats at the Statehouse are representing the working class people of Indiana. While he is representing big business.
-
Viewpoint:: Washington must wake up to missile threat
Three years after President Obama opened an outstretched hand to Iran and attempted to reset relations with Russia, the former has restarted its drive to build nuclear weapons including recent missile testing and saber rattling while the latter has dropped its diplomatic relations to Cold War temperatures.
-
Letter: Consumer-driven economy will pay off debt
To save America some money — by acclimation of course — let’s not have a presidential election in 2012. We already have a good president who will do his best to kill all Republican bills (DOA) and, consequently, create more good-paying jobs in the $30 per hour range.
-
Letter: Gingrich cashes in on political amnesia
Rasmussen says that Romney has flattened nationally. Why?
Two reasons seem to tell the tale. Gingrich has shown that he will fight, and Romney is a Mormon, believed to be a “cult” by a majority of evangelicals. -
Letter: Hiring Winkler not wise spending
As a taxpayer I want to know that my taxes are being spent wisely. Hiring Greg Winkler at a salary of $126,000 is not wise spending.
-
Letter: Bill of Rights being nullified by new law
President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act on New Year’s Eve. I doubt many Americans noticed its implications because they do not yet comprehend the big picture. This law, coupled with the Patriot Act, is paving the way for America’s direction toward tyranny.
-
Letter: $14 trillion debt started by previous president
I’m a proud atheist who’s lucky enough to know the difference between fact and fantasy.
-
Letter: Economy putting people in the gutters
We are now getting the results of putting people in the gutters. We need to take a second look at our government and its policies. It’s not working.
- More Letters Headlines
-
Letter: Union attitude must prevail for recovery
