Alaskans as young as 16 would be allowed to work in restaurants, and those as young as 18 could serve alcohol if a bill passed Monday by the Alaska Senate becomes law.
Senate Bill 15, the work of sponsor Sen. Kelly Merrick, cleared the Senate on a unanimous 19-0 vote. It now advances to the state House for consideration. It’s legislation very much along the lines of last year’s House Bill 189, which passed both bodies but was vetoed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, because it, along with four other bills, passed the Alaska House after the midnight deadline of the last day of season.
The changes SB 15 makes in law include:
- Employment of Minors: Allows restaurants, seasonal tourism establishments, and theaters to employ 16–21-year-olds, with supervision requirements for those aged 16–17. Employees aged 18–20 can serve alcohol, except in adult entertainment venues.
- Theater Alcohol Sales: Expands the time frame for alcohol sales in theaters and removes intermission-related restrictions.
- Access to Licensed Premises: Permits 16+ individuals to be in theaters and large resorts without adult supervision, while those under 16 must have guardian consent.
- Warning Signs: Updates required signage at alcohol vendors to include warnings about birth defects and cancer risks related to alcohol use.
- Repeals & Clarifications: Eliminates outdated theater license provisions and defines “adult entertainment” to ensure those venues cannot employ minors under the new allowances.
The bill doesn’t allow persons under the age of 21 to work in bars where alcohol is the primary sales product. But it does allow 18-year-olds to serve alcohol to patrons in restaurants, breweries, distilleries, and wineries, while excluding bars and package liquor stores.
Also, minors would not be allowed behind the bar or in other areas where alcohol is present.
Alaska’s minimum age for alcohol consumption was lowered to 19 in 1970 and remained there until the federal government changed the legal drinking age to 21 in 1984 and required states to follow.
Under the proposed law, minors under 21 would still not be able to consume alcohol legally, but they could serve it in restaurant and other settings.
I’m okay with this. I found it ironic that my son could not, as a member of the military, buy a beer in the US. He could, however, do so without any issue in Ireland, Germany, Scotland and other countries.
Great News! Especially knowing that my 16-yo lost his paper route due to everyone reading an online paper, he lost his snow shoveling gig due to climate change, he lost his gas pumping gig due to everyone just pumps their own gas, he lost his car washing gig due to automated car washes, and he lost his lawn mowing gig due to autonomous lawn mowers.
That pretty much leaves limited work opportunities for teenagers. Except, for … dealing drugs, growing cannabis, maliciously hacking computers, turning tricks via Facebook – Instagram – X, and now serving ice cold adult beverages. Looks like society is making progress!
Just make sure that they wear the correct nose ring size, have purple to match the green in their hair, have piercings in their tongue, and their pronouns are not improper. Trannies are encouraged to apply.
I began working part time as a short order cook when I was 14, surprised to learn you have to be 16 to work without waivers
Merrick is an idiot but one that the unions think they should keep. When a union member has a child that drinks and drives, kills self in an accident or dies in emergency for consumption, grief will make the change in who is supported to make changes in our laws on minor’s handling and using alcohol.
They’re not allowing minors to buy or consume alcoholic beverages. They’re being allowed to carry a beverage from the bar to a table in a food serving restaurant. Is this all of Merrick’s doing or is he listening to his constituents?
Sensible idea.
Now, while the legislature is doing that, how about doing something even more sensible, and ending the stupid, STUPID neo-Prohibitionist retail segregation of alcohol, and allowing it to be in placed its own aisle in every grocery store, like in every normal state?
I hear you there. When I travel down south I say to myself how convenient to buy everything at once with one shopping cart.
To make it possible for minors as young as 16 to serve alcoholic beverages is ridiculous. These establishments will open themselves up to lawsuits. The owners and managers of these establishments will be responsible for babysitting their underaged employees, making sure they aren’t consuming alcoholic beverages while on the premises
The insurance companies will also raise their rates significantly.
you’re right on J Kirk……
Then those establishments can decide not to hire minors, problem solved. adults should be free to make business decisions – good old right to Property, to Contract, Association all that antique thinking?
It’s already illegal for minors to drink, that doesn’t change, and most places restrict servers drinking on duty even if legal.
How about letting the business owners decide. Potential staff and patrons are perfectly free to not work nor patronize that business.
This “for their own good” regulatory BS is the same nanny-stating that got us the smoking ban.
Which should also be repealed as no owner is forced at gunpoint to allow smoking, no employee is forced at gunpoint to work in a place that allows smoking, and no potential patron is forced at gunpoint to patronize a place that allows smoking. The ban “protects” no one at all.
At the grand old age of 18 I was wearing Uncle Sam’s green battle costume and carrying an M16 with an M203 attached. A lot of trust was placed in the character of this patriotic kid with a lot of firepower in his hands, but I couldn’t legally buy a beer in my home state.
That’s government logic 101.
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