East Grand Forks may soon join Grand Forks, Crookston and other area cities that have passed a law holding accountable those providing an environment for underage drinking.
A draft of a social host ordinance will be discussed by the City Council at its meeting Tuesday.
At a work session last week, council members reviewed the draft prepared by City Attorney Ron Galstad.
In its current version, the law would prohibit hosting or allowing an event where a person-defined by the law as individuals owning or controlling the premises or organizing the event-knowingly allows underage possession or consumption of alcohol to occur.
The proposed law is championed by Polk County Public Health officials and local law enforcement.
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"Its basic design is to minimize opportunities for underage persons to use alcohol by holding parties responsible for providing a place for underage persons to drink," East Grand Forks Police Chief Mike Hedlund said last week.
Galstad emphasized the person must have knowledge of the drinking to be in violation of the law, though the violator doesn't have to be present for the event.
It also is unlawful for a parent or person of age possessing alcohol to fail to take "reasonable steps" in order to prevent minors from possessing or consuming alcohol including controlling access to liquor, verifying ages and supervising minors.
Exempt from the ordinance are legally protected religious observances, establishments such as liquor stores and places where minors handle alcohol as a part of their job.
The law also does not apply to "conduct solely between an underage person and his or her parents" while in the parents' household.
Those convicted face up to 90 days in jail, a fine of up to $1,000 or both with prosecution costs potentially being added.
A similar law passed in Grand Forks last month and will go into effect Aug. 1. Unlike the East Grand Forks law, that ordinance grants immunity from prosecution for up to five minors who call for another underaged individual in need of medical attention because of alcohol consumption.
