A new bi-partisan bill passed by an Assembly committee Thursday could restrict minors from consuming alcoholic beverages at any public establishment in the state, even with a parent present.

The Assembly Committee on Urban and Local Affairs passed the measure in an executive session, according to Chair Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison.

The bill amends a state statute that says no alcoholic licensee may sell alcoholic beverages to any underage person not accompanied by his or her parent, guardian or spouse who has attained the legal drinking age. The new bill would restrict the age of the underage individual to 18 and over.

Berceau said she supports the bill because it is a step in the right direction against underage drinking, but said she was not aware this was a problem for her district, as no constituents have approached her about the matter.

A similar bill has already passed out of the Senate Committee on Children, Families and Workforce Development with a unanimous 5-0 vote.

Rep. John Townsend, R-Fond du Lac, a co-sponsor of the bill, pointed out that communion wine offered at churches would remain legal, as churches are private institutions free from government intervention.

“The way it stands now, if a family goes out to dinner at a restaurant that serves alcoholic beverages, it is permissible to say that parents could permit their 12-year-old to take a sip of their wine or beer,” Townsend said.

The law not only sets an age limit and legal barrier for underage patrons who consume alcohol in public venues but it acknowledges a growing concern for alcohol in the hands of minors, Townsend said.

Townsend notes that the measure is only the first step in the process of combating underage drinking.

“Other states are more stringent, with laws such as ‘minors are not even allowed in bars, liquor stores or other public places with alcoholic beverages,'” Townsend said.

“I came from Oklahoma, and it was a cultural shock to me that (in Wisconsin) parents take children into bars.”

Fellow co-sponsor of the bill, Rep. Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire, also remarked on the differences in Wisconsin’s drinking laws as compared to other states.

“We are one of two or three states that allow this sort of thing in public bars,” Smith said.

Smith also cited the support of many advocacy groups as a factor in the construction of this bill.

Pete Madland, executive director of the Tavern League of Wisconsin, said the Tavern League is supportive of the bill.

“If [the state Legislature] feels like this is part of the solution to underage drinking, I’m in support of it,” Madland said.

He also noted the bill would have minimal impact on the tavern business and that employees of bars will continue to be vigilant when serving alcohol.

“[Employees] will be diligently checking identification from minors who are drinking with a parent,” Madland said.

“I wholeheartedly agree with this bill. We have a drinking culture right now in Wisconsin that isn’t something we should be proud of,” Smith said.