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Youth in the News

Volume 3, Number 2, January 16-31, 2008

Contents
State Watch
Research
Government

STATE WATCH

North Carolina State University provides a unique housing option that allows students to live in "villages" based on their interests, such as Women in Science Education, Arts, Student Advocating for Youth.
Western Michigan University establishes a scholarship and support program that will provide financial aid, mentoring and life skills assistance to foster-care youth attending the university.
Doctors debate medical treatment for gender identity conflicts.
South Carolina's Gang Prevention Study Committee makes five recommendations on how to curb gang violence.

RESEARCH

Studies show that youth that enter the work force earlier in life are more likely to lead productive lives.

GOVERNMENT

An Oklahoma Senator introduces legislation that would create a state graduation coach program to help at-risk youth complete high school.
A bill is introduced in Indiana to reduce youth access to alcoholic beverages in grocery stores.
In South Carolina, a legislator introduces a bill that would lower the drinking age for military members.
A Wyoming lawmaker introduces legislation to tighten drinking laws that would prohibit individuals under the age of 21 from drinking or being drunk in public or private places.
Legislation that would set minimum standards of treatment for juvenile offenders passes one committee in California.
A bill introduced in Iowa restricts individuals with learner's permits or intermediate driver's licenses from talking or texting on their cell phones.
A House committee in Indiana passes a bill that would allow a mayor to appoint an individual under the age of 18 as a youth advisor to city councils.
The South Carolina Senate proposes legislation that would allow young adults to remain on their parent's health insurance whether or not they were a full-time student.
In Wisconsin, juvenile offenders stage an art exhibit at the State Capitol to draw attention to legislation that would return 17-year-olds who commit nonviolent crimes to the juvenile justice system.

ARTICLES

NORTH CAROLINA
Villages increase in popularity
January 30, 2008
by Brian Lewis, TechnicianOnline.com

The amount of students who are applying for housing in University Living and Learning Villages is drawing an increased number of applications every year.

According to Tim Luckadoo, associate vice chancellor for student affairs, the number of students living in the villages has grown since the University started the programs in 2003.

"The students really like the idea behind the villages, which is to bring together students who have similar interests yet maintain the diversity of the campus," Luckadoo said.

According to Luckadoo, the villages are definitely becoming more popular each year.

"Admissions is now getting lots of questions from prospective students about the villages," he said.

The University has seven Living and Learning Villages -- First Year College, Alexander Global Village, Women In Science Education, Arts Village, Students Advocating for Youth, University Scholars Village and University Honors Village. According to a 2007 Living and Learning Task Force update, about 26 percent of students live in the Villages.

Luckadoo said Housing is looking into the possibility of creating a village partnership with the College of Management and possibly one that deals with sustainability and environmental issues.

Keersten Ricks, a sophomore in chemistry who lives in the Scholars Village and is a Scholars Village assistant, agreed that the Villages seem appealing to incoming students.

"The Village lifestyle is the type of experience that helps students find their place in college," Ricks said. "It's great to know that you have friends and resources right beside you in the Village."

According to Susan Grant, director of University Housing, each Living and Learning Village is a sponsorship between University Housing and colleges or departments within the University.

"Our villages make N.C. State more personal and comfortable for the students who live in them," Grant said. "They help build a positive transition into college life and give students other people that are committed to their interests."

Ricks agreed.

"Living in a village is a great experience," Ricks said. "If you want to have a discussion, you can have a discussion. If you want to just hang out, you can just hang out. You have people you can talk to 24/7, whether it's about personal problems or just school issues."

Luckadoo said when WISE started it had about 70 residents. Today, it has around 250 residents. He also said that the Arts Village, which was created this year, has become very popular.

"During the fifth anniversary Village program last year, we held a meeting of the Living and Learning Task Force to see where the Villages had come," Luckadoo said. "It was amazing to hear from students how living in the Village had impacted them. They helped to confirm that the Village program is headed in the right direction."

Sean Cassidy, associate director of the University Scholars Village, said there are 450 scholars living in the Scholars Village. Tthe Scholars Village has always had a strong residential component and the Village is a great way to raise awareness of opportunities in the University, according to Cassidy.

Elizabeth Davis, a freshman in accounting, said she felt that the Scholars Village united all the residents that had a common goal.

"I wanted to live in the Scholars Village because it was a good opportunity for me to meet people and experience things in college other than academics," Davis said.

MICHIGAN
Scholarships support program for foster-care youth
January 18, 2008
UMich.edu

The members of one of the nation's most underserved college-age populations will get help making their higher education dreams come true, thanks to a new scholarship and support initiative being launched at Western Michigan University this fall.

WMU's Foster Youth and Higher Education Initiative is an effort being launched in coordination with the Michigan Campus Compact and the Michigan Department of Human Services. The pilot program is designed to recruit and offer a support structure and financial aid for young people who have aged out of foster care and who qualify for admission or transfer to WMU. While the intent is to target Michigan's foster care youth, the program is open to qualified students from any state.

The initiative will create a community of scholars among WMU students who grew up in foster care and will attempt to fill the unique support needs that exist for the students who have no adult mentors and no permanent home outside their college residence and who have specialized legal, medical, counseling and financial needs. The goal will be to help foster youth, who age out of care between the ages of 18 and 20, make the transition to adulthood through higher education.

"We cannot, as a society, afford to lose the potential these young people represent," says WMU President John M. Dunn. "At Western Michigan University, we are passionate about insuring that no segment of our society is kept from having access to higher education. This University, with its broad range of programs, excellent faculty and strong support systems is well positioned to make success for these young people a reality."

Michigan Department of Human Services Director Ismael Ahmed applauds WMU's commitment to foster youths.

"Programs like this one are essential to improve outcomes," he said. "The University's leadership is the model for other institutions to provide the support and resources foster youths need to lead productive lives."

Chief among the tools WMU will use to support foster youth is the John Seita Scholarship, named for a three-time WMU alumnus who grew up in foster care and has become one of the nation's foremost experts on and advocates for foster youth. Seita, who has published extensively on the topics of foster care and youth development and whose background includes work with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is being honored this month with the 2007 Ruth Massing Foster Care Alumni Award through Casey Family programs--an offshoot of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Only one foster care alumni a year is selected in the United States.

The Seita Scholarship will provide foster youth aging out of care with undergraduate tuition. Recipients will be required to live on campus, and year-round, on-campus housing will be available, thus providing students with the stability of knowing they have a roof over their heads even during semester breaks.

Seita, now an associate professor of social work at Michigan State University, says people unfamiliar with the plight of former foster youth, often underestimate the importance of housing stability for a student trying to pursue a college degree. Before he became a student at WMU, Seita briefly attended a small Michigan liberal arts college. When his fellow students went home for the holidays, he had no place to go. When college administrators could offer him no assistance, he spent his holiday recess sneaking in and out of a residence hall and scrambling to find a way to eat.

Other tools in WMU's foster care initiative will include:

adult assistance to young people who need help and encouragement with admissions and financial aid forms;
a partnership with Kalamazoo Valley Community College to facilitate the transfer of foster youth to WMU;
a work study component to provide additional life skills and campus connections for students in the program; and
a marketing drive with state agencies that will publicize the initiative to Michigan middle schools, high schools, foster care agencies and foster parent associations.

In addition, a support network on the campus and in the Kalamazoo community will be constructed and include professionals in the areas of career planning, mentoring, tutoring, counseling and legal services. Support services may also include providing the students with an opportunity to catch up on such life skills as banking, budgeting and time management.

Annually, more than 500 young people age out of Michigan's foster care system. Nationally, the figure is about 20,000.While 70 percent aspire to go to college, only about 20 percent actually enroll and only a quarter of those students go on to earn a degree. That compares to a national college attendance figure for college-age youth of about 67 percent.

In addition to their financial and housing problems, a number of other issues come into play with former foster students. Foster care youth, for instance, frequently lack adult encouragement and role models and often are unfamiliar with college and career options.

"There is a whole set of characteristics and a comfort level that most children acquire through what I call 'family privilege,''' Seita says. "It's something children in traditional families never even think about, but foster kids just never have the opportunity to acquire those traits."

The Foster Youth and Higher Education Initiative is an outgrowth of a statewide summit in April 2007 in which WMU joined with representatives from colleges and state agencies to begin assessing the situation and begin post-secondary planning for Michigan's foster care population. Planning for the WMU program accelerated in the fall of 2007 with the support of WMU's new president, Dunn. A student advisory group made up of current WMU students who formerly lived in foster care is assisting with the planning effort.

First-time freshmen or transfer students who were in foster care or were wards of the state at the time of their high school graduation are eligible to apply for WMU's John Seita Scholarship. Recipients must meet WMU's admission requirements, complete the University's admissions process, fill out a federal financial aid form each year, live on campus and agree to a basic set of conditions that will include maintaining a minimum GPA and taking part in academic support programs such as First Year Experience.

Additional information on how the program will work is available by contacting one of WMU's three principal planners: Penny Bundy, director of admissions, at (269) 387-2000; Mark Delorey, director of financial aid and scholarships, at (269) 387-6037; or Dr. Yvonne Unrau, associate professor of social work, at (269) 387-3185. John Seita, for whom the scholarship is named, can be reached at (269) 501-5487.

TRANSGENDER YOUTH
Transgender teens: Doctors refine hormone, other therapies
January 27, 2008
by Chloe Johnson, Fosters.com

Editor's note: This is one in an occasional series about transgender youth.

Puberty can be scary for many children, but doctors say it's absolutely terrifying for transgender youth.

"If they're not terrified of it, they're not trans," said Dr. Norman Spack, clinical director of the endocrine division of Children's Hospital in Boston.

The hospital opened a transgender clinic for children nearly a year ago, the first in the nation like it, according to Spack.

At the onset of puberty, children begin to feel the effects of their gender assigned at birth and develop the related secondary sex characteristics, such as breasts. That's especially difficult for transgender youth who identify with a gender opposite of the body in which they were born.

Transgender is an umbrella term used to describe people who don't fully identify with their birth gender or who were born with intersexed conditions. It can include people ranging from transsexuals who live as the opposite sex or have been surgically reassigned to someone who cross-dresses occasionally.

There is limited and varying data on the number of transgender people in the nation, according to the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, D.C. A report issued last year by a University of Michigan professor estimates the frequency of male-to-female transsexualism is in the range of 1 in 500 to 1 in 2,000.

There are medical options for transgender youth, but opinions differ on the best time to intervene, doctors say.

One option, practiced in the Netherlands, is to delay puberty by prescribing hormone blockers in an early stage of development called Tanner 2, Spack said. He said this is between the ages of 12 and 14 for boys and 10 to 12 for girls on average. The blockers extend the time doctors have to evaluate the child and make a diagnosis, while the child continues to gain the reasoning skills to help make up his or her mind.

Development continues normally if blockers are discontinued. But should the child not have a change of mind, they can change development by taking cross hormones next, Spack said.

He said a young person can develop like the gender they identify with this way and possibly achieve a result more convincing to others and personally satisfying than if they had transitioned later in life. For example, a transgender female will then never grow facial hair, and a transgender male will never grow breasts.

The other belief, common in England, is that the natural progression of puberty is necessary for brain development, Spack said. He said they do not allow transitions before the age of 16.

He added that many transgender children without treatment make attempts to end their lives before reaching that age.

Medical treatment of gender identity conflicts is in an early stage, and there is not yet a general consensus on the best way to proceed, he said.

"This is still somewhat of an experiment," he said.

For a parent of a young transgender woman in the Seacoast area, reversing the effects of puberty made all the difference. He asked to remain anonymous to protect his daughter's identity.

The parent said his child started with hormone blockers, then took cross hormones and more recently underwent sexual reassignment surgery.

"She's the same, but not," he said.

When it's time to make a gender change, he said, it's the sooner, the better.

"You want what's inside to come out," he said.

Anne Boedecker, a psychologist and gender specialist in Bow, said children begin to understand gender around the age of 3, and most with gender identity issues report them around 4 or 5 years old.

She said some children express that they want to be the opposite gender when they "grow up," since they have a sense of development as being a fluid process.

Others are envious of the body parts of those of the opposite gender and don't understand why theirs are different.

Boedecker said some people are born gender variant, and the fact that young children express this long before they express their sexuality proves that.

The proper response at that age, Boedecker said, is to give it time.

"It's a gradual process for adults, and it takes even longer for kids," she said.

Doctors use the standards of care for gender identity disorders by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, formerly known as the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association.

After acknowledging and accepting a gender conflict, the standard is to begin with a complete psychiatric assessment and therapy to reduce distress.

The standards put physical intervention into three categories — fully reversible, partially reversible and irreversible — and say they should progress gradually in that order.

Boedecker said the fully reversible hormone blockers help delay the development that can be "horrifying" for transgender kids, and give them time to make their decision. She added that it's important not to make any permanent changes too soon.

"You don't have to rush to assign kids a gender," she said. "It really needs to be driven by the child."

However, she said, the younger children transition, the more likely their peers will accept the change.

Dr. Edgardo Menvielle, director of the gender and sexuality development program at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., said biological girls tend to express their gender variancy later than boys.

That may be because girls seen as "tomboys" find more social acceptance than a boy seen as effeminate, he said.

His program provides evaluations and therapy for children with a range of gender issues, as well as education and advocacy. It has focused on younger children, since there already are more programs available to help teenagers, he said.

Menvielle said he uses a clinical judgment to determine a genuine gender identity disorder in young children by speaking with them and parents about the degree of discomfort and the history of how the issue evolved, for instance.

He said it would be ideal for children to wait until puberty to make a final decision regarding their gender change.

But, he said, "the real world is not ideal."

He said many children are in such severe psychological distress over their gender identity conflict that it might not be humane to wait.

SOUTH CAROLINA
Gang study recommendations already in use in Lowcountry
January 31, 2008
by Andy Paras & Yvonne Wenger, Charleston.net

Findings released Wednesday by a gang prevention committee will help agencies across the state launch a coordinated attack against gang activity, but many of the suggestions already are being put to use in the Lowcountry, local officials said.

The state Gang Prevention Study Committee, created by the Legislature last year, made five recommendations on how the state can curb gang violence: use the grand jury to prosecute gang-related crimes; provide specialized education for law enforcement; mandate a reporting system to track activity; educate the community; and develop a comprehensive plan.

North Charleston Police Chief Jon Zumalt said the more information collected at a statewide level the better.

Curbing violence

The Gang Prevention Study Committee made five recommendations to the state Wednesday. The state should:

Use the grand jury to prosecute gang-related crimes and gather information on gang structure and organization.
Provide specialized education and training for law enforcement personnel to effectively combat gang activities.
Have a mandatory, inclusive reporting system to track gang activity through the State Law Enforcement Division.
Educate schools, parents, concerned citizens and youth about the dangers of criminal gangs.
Develop a comprehensive plan to combat gang activity, including integration of new ideas into existing gang-diversion programs.

The committee also found that the state should extend the life of the committee for up to two more years and that the state should consider creating a permanent gang awareness commission to monitor the state's efforts.

"It's been an issue for us for some time," Zumalt said. "All five of these things we've been doing and we support."

State Attorney General Henry McMaster said the primary finding of the Gang Prevention Study Committee is simple.

"We do have a gang problem in South Carolina and a lot of people don't believe that," McMaster said. "But it's trueand they are going to stay unless we do something about it."

The study committee is one measure included in legislation that came out of the Senate Criminal Justice System Task Force last year. The committee was formed in the summer of 2006 and continues to examine ways to curb violence.

The legislation also gave the state grand jury authority to investigate gang crimes. The grand jury has investigated three cases since the legislation was signed by the governor in June, McMaster said.

Charleston Police Sgt. Debbie Fritts, who is head of the department's crime intelligence and crime analysis units, said the department has not yet had a case that matches the criteria spelled out in the law. The law states that a known gang composed of at least five members must be connected to four gang-motivated incidents, three of which have to occur since the law was passed in June.

She said officers are being trained to look at cases in a new way.

"They need to understand what gangs are and how to get the information back to us," she said.

One of the first hurdles the state must address is the lack of data on gang activity. The committee wants the state to pass a mandatory reporting system through the State Law Enforcement Division. McMaster said he thinks the starting point would be to have law enforcement agencies add another check box on police reports to indicate whether a crime was gang-related.

Fritz said the department added the check box two weeks ago and also revamped field contact cards that will help officers identify possible gang members they come in contact with.

In addition to giving law enforcement the tools they needed, the key to addressing gang activity is bringing interested parties together, McMaster said.

He said the committee — made up of legislators, church leaders and the state's social service agencies — will continue its work. He also encouraged the public to get involved.

"There's all sorts of things that the average citizen can do and we're calling on those citizens now," McMaster said.

While it's hard to measure the specifics of the problem, Bill Byars, director of the state Department of Juvenile Justice, said he has seen the growing problem through the detained juveniles and their stories.

"It is time that we took action," Byars said. "These are South Carolina's children who are in danger. These are South Carolinians who are being hurt by the gang activity."

Byars encouraged the public to turn to their local sheriff or Juvenile Justice office to help in dealing with gangs.

A.V. Strong, executive director of A Better Way "Project Gang Out," a nonprofit, faith-based group in Columbia, said that last year, 1,000 youths participated in the group's programs and 95 percent were involved in gangs.

"This is not a time for panic," Strong said. "This is a time for process. We just don't want to believe we can't get this problem under control."

Josh Lorick, director of the youth mentor program in the Attorney General's Office, said he gets calls from families and teens looking for help. One conversation with a young man sticks out in his mind, and, although there is no easy answer, it is a call for action.

"Our concern is being able to get ahead of the curve," Lorick said. "As one young man asked me, 'If I get out of the gang, can you protect me?' Of course, I didn't have an immediate answer for him."

The Rev. Eddie Guess of Good News Global Ministry in Columbia said law enforcement and faith-based communities have different responsibilities and that what the public and churchgoers can do is to let young men and women know they are loved and that someone cares about them.

"There are absent fathers. There are teenagers with babies and they don't have the slightest clue as to how to parent them," Guess said. "I believe the faith-based community has a responsibility."

Among the committee's finding is that the average age of a gang member is 15.8 years old and two of the main reasons they join is poverty and a lack of adult supervision, McMaster said.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Early job experience pays off over lifetime
January 29, 2008
by Pamela Ferrara, StatesmanJournal.com

If you're a Salem-area business owner or a parent with a young person age 16 to 24 in your household, there's something you need to know:

When young people make an early connection to the world of work, they are more likely to stay working and lead productive lives, according to all the studies.

Youths who have jobs in high school drop out less, particularly if they're from lower-income families. If they have jobs in high school and don't go to college, they make a smoother transition to the permanent work force. They also earn more after 10 years than those who don't have jobs in high school.

It has become more difficult over the years for young adults to have access to full-time, well-paid jobs. The reasons have to do with changes in the basic functioning of the economy.

For one, early work-force participation rises with family income -- not surprising because more-affluent families generally have more connections themselves to the work force. It's more difficult for kids from lower-income families to make that first, all-important work connection.

There also has been a decline in good-paying entry-level manufacturing jobs, as well as competition from immigrants for jobs in many industries and from older adults, particularly for jobs in the retail industry.

As a result of these trends, the number of young people age 16 to 24 with jobs has reached a historical low, continuing to decline even after the economy's recovery from the last recession. Employment rates for people younger than 20 have declined even more steeply.

That's a huge waste of human resources in an ever-tightening job market. Low youth-employment rates also are associated with costly societal problems such as increases in teen pregnancy, drug use and criminal activity.

What all this means is that extra effort has to be made to boost youth employment and give businesses incentives to hire them. That's where local work-force programs come in. The Enterprise for Employment and Education is the local work-force board that invests the federal government's training money, and one of its priorities is youth employment.

A few years back, Gary Becker won the Nobel Prize in economics for recognizing that investing in "human capital" was as important for the success of the nation's economy -- if not more so -- than investing in machinery. There's no more important investment than in the young -- they are the future.

If you're a Salem-area business and you get a phone call asking you to take a chance on hiring a young person who needs job experience, think about saying yes. If you're a parent, encourage your kids to experience the world of work early on. It will pay off, for youths who will have a solid connection to the work force and higher earnings throughout their life, and for the economy and society, as well.

Pamela Ferrara is a work-force analyst for Worksource Oregon Employment Department.

GRADUATION COACH
Governor proposes graduation coaches to aid at-risk youth
January 31, 2008
by Violet Spader and The Associated Press wire reports, EnidNews.com

With the intention of reducing dropout rates in Oklahoma, Gov. Brad Henry Wednesday proposed a program to put graduation coaches, mentors who would guide at-risk students to graduation, into Oklahoma schools.

“In the last several years, we have done a better job providing new resources to education, while at the same time increasing academic rigor and accountability,” Henry said. “But these efforts are of little use to students who don’t stay in school.”

Senate Bill 1694 by Sen. Sean Burrage, D-Claremore, would authorize the creation of a state graduation coach initiative modeled after a similar program in Georgia. Graduation coaches would keep students focused on academics and help them deal with issues outside of school that could be a barrier to graduation.

“More than ever before, a high school diploma is needed for success in the workplace,” Henry said. “Yet too many of our young people are entering the world without the education so vital to their success.”

A total of 5,768 students, or 3.2 percent of Oklahoma’s public school population, dropped out of school in grades 9 through 12 last year, said Shelly Hickman, spokeswoman for Department of Education.

In October, state Commerce Department officials told a Senate panel Oklahoma ranked 33rd nationally, at 84.3 percent, in the percentage of people 25 and older with a high school diploma or its equivalent.

In last year’s State of the State speech, Henry challenged lawmakers to enact policies that would make Oklahoma’s dropout rate the lowest in the nation in five years. The graduation coach program, he said, would be a great start on achieving that goal.

“Whatever troubles a student may face, dropping out is not the answer,” Henry said. “With this program in place, a graduation coach will be there to help students through difficult times and see them on to graduation.”

Chisholm Public Schools Superintendent Roydon Tilley said they encourage students to explore alternative education before deciding to drop out.

“With a smaller school size, we try to be attuned to families and students and give them one-on-one attention,” Tilley said.

Enid Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Ruth Ann Erdner said there are many options in place for at-risk students. These options include counselors in junior and high schools and summer school. EPS also offers Autry Technology Center courses at the high school, which Erdner said can reach some students’ interest areas and encourage them to continue in school.

Lincoln Academy, EPS’ alternative school, is another option for students.

Erdner said school officials start mentoring and tutoring for seventh- and eighth-grade students.

According to Office of Accountability 2006 District Report, senior graduation rate for 2006 seniors in Chisholm Public Schools was 97.3 percent, compared to the state’s average of 97.2 percent. Chisholm’s four-year dropout rate for the class of 2006 was 4.1 percent, compared to the state’s average of 14.1 percent

For Enid Public Schools, the senior graduation rate for 2006 was 99.2 percent and the four-year dropout rate for 2006 was 5.7 percent.

REDUCING ACCESS TO ALCOHOL
Rep. Bell Updates Indiana's Alcohol Regulations
January 29, 2008
KPCNews.com

The Indiana House of Representatives on Tuesday took steps to update Indiana's alcohol regulations by passing House Bill 1118, co-authored by Rep. Matt Bell (R-Avilla).

House Bill 1118 is a complex bill dealing with alcohol regulations. One of the main components of the bill is the definition of a grocery store. Many communities throughout the state would like to ensure that a grocery store be considered an establishment with no more than 25 percent of its sales being from alcoholic beverages. HB 1118 would limit the number of retail establishments selling alcohol in a community.

Grocery stores that choose to sell liquor would also need to have it in a clearly separated area that prohibits the presence of minors unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. This would help limit minors' access to alcohol by ensuring it is not near doors and easily accessible.

"This is a move towards consistency, and a strong step towards sending the right message to young people," said Rep. Bell. "No one on any side of this debate wants youth to be exposed to alcohol. These are weighty issues that currently lack consistency, and this bill clarifies many irregularities.

The age for allowing clerks to sell alcohol would be raised to 19, preventing most high school students from selling alcohol. Clerks who sell alcohol would be required to take the same training course that restaurant servers take. The bill would also allow minors to participate in Alcohol and Tobacco Commission compliance checks. Currently, the ATC has successfully used minors for tobacco compliance checks but not alcohol.

In addition, the bill also addresses alcohol permits. Many communities are already at quota for local restaurant licenses. Currently, the number of local permits allowed is only evaluated every 10 years. This has inhibited development in some communities because even if the population had grown to allow for new permits, new restaurants could not get a permit until the new census. Rep. Bell authored an amendment to allow city councils the ability to pass a resolution to grant up to five local licenses in economic development areas. This will give local people the ability to make their own decisions since they know what is best for their community.

The bill will now move to the Senate for further debate.

LOWERING THE DRINKING AGE
‘They’ve proven they’re adults’
January 30, 2008
by Chuck Crumbo, TheState.com

If you’re old enough to fight, you’re old enough to drink.

That’s the opinion of state Rep. Fletcher Smith, who is sponsoring a bill that would make it legal for service members younger than 21 to down an alcoholic drink or buy a six pack.

All the service member would have to do is show his or her military identification card to the bartender or store clerk.

State law prohibits the sale or possession of alcoholic beverages by anyone 21.

It doesn’t make sense to prohibit a young soldier, Marine, airman or sailor from having a drink, said Smith, D-Greenville.

“They’ve proven they’re adults,” Smith said. “They have the maturity that an average 18-year-old wouldn’t have.”

However, Smith’s bill is opposed by highway safety advocates. And if it becomes law, South Carolina could lose up to 10 percent of its federal highway funds. Last year, that money totaled $287 million.

Troops have varying reactions.

Pfc. Stanton Jackson, who joined the Army National Guard at 19, agrees with Smith.

“If you’re responsible enough to sign on the dotted line and serve your country, then you’re responsible enough to drink,” said Jackson, who recently turned 21. “You get real mature after you go through basic training.”

Midshipman William Sandifer, a Naval ROTC cadet at the University of South Carolina, opposes the bill because it would lower the drinking age only for military members.

“You’re saying we’re more responsible, but it’s just our job,” said the 21-year-old Sandifer, who joined ROTC when he was 18.

Sandifer supports lowering the drinking age to 18 for everyone. “I was in Japan, where the drinking age is 18, and the place was not falling apart.”

Military policy requires S.C. bases to follow state law, meaning alcohol cannot be served to service member younger than 21.

There are exceptions, though.

At Fort Jackson and Shaw Air Force Base, underage service members may drink at special functions if they have the approval of commanders. For example, if there’s a ceremonial toast, underage troops could have a glass of champagne.

Soldiers in basic training, regardless of age, aren’t allowed to drink alcoholic beverages, said Fort Jackson spokeswoman Karen Soule.

The Marine Corps recently loosened its rules to allow Marines younger than 21 to drink on base but only at functions approved by the commander.

Those events include the Corps’ birthday ball, said Lt. Joshia Nicely, spokesman for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island.

“It’s very controlled, very regulated,” Nicely said. “There are plenty of senior members there monitoring and supervising.

“An 18-year-old guy is going to be an 18-year-old guy.”

Underage Marines are not allowed to drink or possess alcohol anywhere else on base, Nicely said. Recruits in boot camp, regardless of their age, are not allowed to drink, he added.

South Carolina raised the drinking age to 21 from 18 in 1984 to comply with federal law.

Safety officials estimate about 23,000 lives — or roughly 1,000 a year — have been saved since the drinking age was raised.

If the state had not increased the drinking age, it risked losing federal money to build and maintain highways.

Lowering the drinking age for military members could cost the state up to 10 percent of the $287 million in federal road money South Carolina received in 2007, said a spokesman for the Federal Highway Administration.

Safety advocates, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving, think Smith’s bill is a bad idea.

“MADD supports our military and supports living life to the fullest,” said Juliet Smith, spokeswoman for the S.C. chapter. “Let’s not create additional dangerous risks. Let’s protect our youth and our roadways.”

Chuck Hurley, chief executive officer of MADD’s national office, said similar bills have been introduced in a handful of states, including Kentucky, Nebraska and Vermont.

“These bills are going up against a mountain of data and have very little public support,” Hurley said. “We would be very surprised if these get serious consideration.”

However, Smith thinks his bill, which has been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee, has a chance to win support.

Smith said he decided to write the proposal after hearing the complaints of a 20-year-old Marine who couldn’t buy a drink after returning home from Iraq.

“‘I risked my life over there and now I can’t get a beer,’” Smith quoted the Marine as saying.

“You’re going to tell a Marine that you can’t get a drink? What kind of crap is that?”

UNDERAGE DRINKING
Bill Targets Youth Drinking
January 18, 2008
By Mead Gruver, Associated Press

A state lawmaker plans to try again to change a law he says allows minors to drink alcohol as long as they don't get drunk.

"Essentially in Wyoming, it's not illegal for children to drink," Rep. Keith Gingery, R-Jackson, said Thursday. "It's illegal for children to drink to the point of excess."

Specifically, the law says people under 21 may not be "drunk or under the influence of alcohol" on "any street or highway or in any public place." Gingery's bill would change the law to say that minors can't drink, period, even in private.

One person who's worked to prevent underage drinking in Wyoming thinks Gingery's proposed changes to Wyoming's underage drinking laws are appropriate and overdue.

"Some of those statutes have been on the books since 1935. Some of those are working well. Some of those are working not so well," said Ernie Johnson, a former manager of Wyoming first lady Nancy Freudenthal's Initiative to Reduce Childhood Drinking.

To Gingery, a Teton County prosecutor, the current law could get troublesome when a police officer busts a house party -- a private place -- where minors have been drinking.

He said only minors caught holding alcohol could be cited. They would be charged with minor in possession of alcohol.

"The ones that are not holding a beer but maybe are fall-down drunk, unconscious on the floor, he can't cite them because being intoxicated has to be in a public location, not private," he said.

Gingery said in that case, charging the youths with possessing alcohol would be unfair.

"Just because I was dumb enough to keep holding on to the beer, and maybe be honest with the officer, I get cited," he said. "But my buddy who tossed down his beer bottle as soon as the officer walked up, doesn't get cited."

Still, Gingery said some judges have managed to crack down on underage drinkers who didn't happen to be holding a drink by saying alcohol in their stomachs constituted possession.

"I think that's sort of a stretch," he said. "But I can understand why the judges are doing it, because they're frustrated that the Legislature won't go back and fix this."

A co-sponsor of the bill, Sen. Bob Fecht, R-Cheyenne and that city's police chief, said the goal of the bill is to make the law clearer and do away with the "threshold of 'drunk."'

"If you're drinking, it's illegal," Fecht said.

Still, Fecht said that as a police chief, he's had no trouble cracking down on underage drinking, because Cheyenne has an underage drinking ordinance tougher than the state law.

In that sense, Gingery's bill resembles one banning open containers of alcohol in vehicles, which passed last year after several years of debate. Regardless of what Wyoming's law used to say, many communities around the state already had banned open containers. Likewise, many communities already have ordinances banning underage drinking.

This will be Gingery's third attempt to change the law. His bill last year got through the House but bogged down when the Senate Judiciary Committee debated allowing certain minors to drink in special circumstances.

"They had gotten into this issue of, if I'm returning or going off to war, I should be allowed to sit down with my father and have a beer. They were working on these amendments that if you're 18 and you're going off to war you get to drink with your parents," Gingery said.

This year's four-week session deals primarily with the budget. As a result, all non-budget bills, including Gingery's, will need a two-thirds vote to be introduced.

TREATMENT STANDARDS
Assemblymember Parra Moves Bill Forward on Standards for Youth Offenders
January 17, 2008
by California Political Desk, CaliforniaChronicle.com

Assemblymember Nicole Parra (D-Hanford) announced that AB 1110 has passed out of the Assembly Public Safety Committee. The bill received a unanimous vote and now moves to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The bill sets minimum standards of treatment for wards in the California Youth Authority (CYA).

"An audit by the Inspector General found that many of the Youth Authority facilities were not providing required services, including evaluations and educational and counseling services. While better standards of care are now reportedly routine in the system, these analyses are still not required by law," said Assemblymember Parra. "This bill will ensure minimum standards are in place. If the mission of the CYA is to rehabilitate wards, then the Legislature needs to ensure that basic treatment standards exist."

In recent years, the California Youth Authority has been severely criticized for failing to provide wards committed to their custody with appropriate services to help them lead more productive lives once they are released. Yet, in its earlier days, the CYA was considered a model juvenile justice agency for the rest of the country.

AB 1110 proposes to establish minimum program standards for wards committed to the California Youth Authority. These standards will help insure that wards committed to the department are provided appropriate services to give them a far better chance to succeed upon release from the CYA. By doing so, the public is best protected from future criminal behavior. At the same time, helping wards avoid a future career of crime will significantly reduce state and local costs. Even a slight reduction in recidivism would provide sufficient funding for the costs of AB 1110.

This bill is supported by the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, Friends Committee on Legislation in California, and Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety.

DRIVING WHILE... TEXTING?
Teens with cell phones - beware
January 28, 2008
by Briana Byrd, DailyIowan.com

If you don't have a full license yet, it soon might be a bad idea to pick up your phone next time you're behind the wheel.

A bill recently introduced in the Iowa House would mandate a $30 fine for people with learner's permits or intermediate licenses caught talking or texting on their cell phones or other handheld devices while driving.

State Rep. McKinley Bailey, D-Webster City, who filed the bill, did so after a crash killed two high-school students in his district who were using their cell phones while driving.

"I have not read the bill, but the intent is to provide public safety for youth," said Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville. "We really do have to address this, because the biggest reason for youth having accidents on the road is their attention spans. We certainly want young people to be learning the safest way to drive a vehicle. It makes it more interesting because McKinley is an under-30 guy himself."

If ticketed, drivers with permits and intermediate licenses would be forced to wait a certain time period before they could obtain a full license. The fine does not apply, however, to drivers who are at a complete stop off the roadway, calling 911, law enforcement, or emergency-response agencies.

"This [bill] gives a little more clarity for people just learning how to drive," Bailey said.

According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, in 2000, people between the ages of 15 to 24 had the highest crash percentages, 34 percent - almost twice that of people ages 25 to 34.

"The bill addresses the age-old question of personal freedom versus personal safety," Jacoby said. "It's one thing to have [the cell phone] in your ear, it's another to be looking down and typing away. There's a concern for drivers and passengers while on the road. While young people may have better reaction times, they also tend to make less-safe decisions. Texting while driving takes away from concentrating on the road."

Two Iowa City West High students, Jessica Hansen and Sammy Hladek, agree that the bill is a good idea, but they questioned how well it could be enforced.

"I think it's a good idea - I text and talk - which is not a good thing, but I think it's going to be really hard to enforce because it's such a little thing," said Hladek, who has as full driver's license and would not be affected by the bill. "I don't think it will be followed through very well."

Although Bailey agreed that enforcing the bill would be difficult, he pointed out that numerous other laws are challenging but can still be carried out.

"It wont be easy to enforce, but it won't be any easier or harder to enforce than any other provisions that go along with this graduated license system," he said.

Wrecked
Crashes from 2000 broken down by age

15-24: 31.93 percent
25-34: 17.77 percent
35-44: 17.59 percent
45-54: 13.39 percent
55-64: 7.67 percent
65-74: 5.05 percent
75 and up: 4.24 percent

Source: Iowa Department of Transportation, 2000 Iowa Crash Facts

YOUTH COUNCIL ADVISORS
Rep. Bell eager to get youth involved in local government
January 24, 2008
KPCNews.com

Today, House Bill 1162 (HB 1162) authored by Rep. Matt Bell (R-Avilla), passed out of the House Local Government Committee with a vote of 11-1. HB 1162 allows a mayor to appoint an individual less than 18 years old to serve as an advisor to the city legislative body on matters affecting youth in the community.

“Decisions are made everyday by city councils that vastly affect today’s youth, but due to their age they are not allowed to participate in the legislative process,” said Rep. Bell. “By providing the city council with a youth advisor, the community and young people will benefit by having the opportunity to have their voices heard.”

Individuals would be appointed by mayors in each participating city for the city council. The appointed youth would not be an active voting member of the council, but an advisor to the legislation process.

Currently, the city council youth advisor program is being used in 40 different cities and towns, including Kendallville in District 83. Participants in the Kendallville program and legislators have provided positive feedback.

Rep. Bell is suggesting that this program be made as easy as possible for city leaders to get their youth active in the legislative process. The program has also proven to be instrumental in getting parents involved in the process.

Rep. Bell encourages constituents to contact him with questions or concerns through e-mail at h83@in.gov, by calling the Statehouse toll-free at 1-800-382-9841, or by writing him at 200 W. Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

HEALTH INSURANCE
Senators Propose Plan to Extend Health Insurance to Youth
January 31, 2008
WLTX.com

Senate Democrats Thursday propsed a plan to extend health insurance coverage for young adults.

The Health Care Accessibility for Young Americans Act (S.1010) will require insurance companies to extend families' health insurance policies for young adults and military veterans, lawmakers say.

Currently, young adults are eligible to remain on their families' policies only if they are full-time students in college. They are dropped from policies if they are no longer in school or enter the workforce.

According to the bill's primary sponsor, state Senator Joel Lourie (D-Columbia) says the bill aims to extend the period of time young adults are covered by their parent's health insurance policies.

"Regardless if you're a full-time student, a part-time student, or in the workforce, you should not be penalized for making decisions that are best for you," said Lourie.

According to "Cover the Uninsured SC," nearly 42 percent of South Carolinians ages 18 to 24 lack health insurance. This age group is twice as likely to be uninsured than all South Carolinians.

"Access to health insurance is a growing crisis here in South Carolina and across the country," aid state Senator Darrell Jackson (D-Hopkins), a bill co-sponsor. "Young people should not be faced with financial ruin if they get sick so early in their adult lives."

The legislation also has provisions for military veterans. An individual who is honorably discharged from the military following an active duty tour can return to their parents existing health insurance policies for up to three years.

Sponsors say S.1010 has been referred to the Senate's Banking and Insurance Committee for consideration.

JUVENILE JUSTICE
Art an outlet for locked-up youth
January 17, 2008
by Samara Kalk Derby, Madison.com

Seventeen-year-old Kirk Gunderson's face had a blank stare on it the day in June 2005 that he stabbed his father and his brother. The next day he didn't realize what he had done, his parents said.

Kirk had experienced several head injuries from playing contact sports like hockey and football and was addicted to OxyContin, his parents said.

His younger brother, Jay, 14 at the time, was also stabbed. Jay told his parents that Kirk "wasn't there" when he went after him, but had been replaced by the devil.

Kirk's parents, Vicky and Kermit Gunderson, were in town from Onalaska, 150 miles northwest of Madison, Wednesday for a brief exhibit at the State Capitol featuring the artwork of young offenders. The exhibit, "Art from the Inside: Unlocking the Creativity of Incarcerated Youth," was on display for a few days this week.

Tyler Pollock, 17, was incarcerated in a shelter home Jan. 27, 2007, for various acts that he would rather not talk about. He has a painting on exhibit that shows a blue and red teddy bear against a gray background. It has a little tag on it that says "Made in detention." It has an actual button for an eye and the words "Don't quit" written on its paw. A heart is coming out of the bear that says "Never too late."

Tyler was the only artist at a reception for the exhibit Wednesday afternoon in the Senate parlor. He is currently in a foster home in the town of Dunn.

"For some reason the teddy bear stands for me, myself," he said. "Even though he is broken up and torn because he is sad, he will not quit because he knows people and things are there for him."

Kirk Gunderson contributed a colorful but distorted self-portrait. He drew it a week before he killed himself, Dec. 27, 2005, in the La Crosse County Jail. He hanged himself by attaching a bedsheet to a smoke detector just days before a court hearing that might have brought the treatment his family believed he desperately needed.

"It is a picture of me," Kirk wrote in a description of his portrait. "I am separated from the real world."

The face in the picture has a bald head, wrinkles, bags under its eyes, bars across its eyes, earrings in each ear and tears falling from one eye. Kirk wrote that the wrinkles are because he feels "so weathered and worn down." The bags under his eyes are because "I am sad and I miss my girlfriend." He said he was hairless because "I can't draw hair very well." The bars over his eyes "show my situation," he wrote.

Vicky Gunderson said that her son's portrait "speaks volumes." She said the tears depict the sadness he had brought to his life and his family.

"His plan was to take his tragedy and try to help other youths, provide direction," Vicky Gunderson said, adding that it was something he started while in jail. Adult inmates had sent the Gundersons letters about how Kirk had ministered to them and given them hope.

"The drawing shows he felt he had a future," his mother said, pointing out that he had written "future" and "2016?" most likely referring to the year he thought he would be out of jail. "We are convinced his hope was taken from him."

During Kirk's drug-fueled rampage he stabbed his father five times. Kermit Gunderson spent two weeks in an intensive care unit.

Kermit Gunderson said that his son wanted help: "He was going to take this tragedy and use it to help people in trouble. Two hours later he had killed himself."

Both parents wish that their son, a gifted student, hadn't been jailed with adults and said he would have had more educational opportunities in a juvenile correction facility.

The art exhibit was staged in part to draw attention to legislation that would return 17-year-olds who commit nonviolent crimes to the juvenile justice system. Under current law, all 17-year-olds are prosecuted as adults when they are arrested for any crime. That includes shoplifting, disorderly conduct, liquor possession and other nonviolent crimes, regardless of whether it is a first offense.

Even if a prosecutor wanted to move a 17-year-old back to the juvenile court system, that wouldn't be possible under Wisconsin law.

Wendy Henderson, a policy analyst with the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, said she has been collecting artwork for the past year. There are about 25 pieces on exhibit.

"One of the reasons why we're doing a public display is to highlight the talents and creativity of young people who have been in trouble with the law," she said.

All the artwork is in response to the question, "What does it feel like to be incarcerated before 18?"

She has seen the themes of isolation, loneliness, sadness, but also a lot of hope -- looking toward the future, looking to be a better person, Henderson said. The artwork has displayed a lot more optimism than she was expecting, she said.