The Issue: My father becomes a different person when he has had too much to drink. The kind, caring dad I know can become someone I barely recognize: angry, irrational, and frightening to be around. Experiencing that change in someone you love is terrifying. It affects more than the person drinking. It affects their family, friends, and everyone around them. My family is not the only family affected by harmful alcohol use. Alcohol-related problems can contribute to domestic violence, impaired driving, injuries, and other serious consequences. When someone has already been convicted of an alcohol-related offense, I believe we should at least consider whether additional safeguards could help prevent the same pattern from happening again.

The Proposal: I am asking lawmakers to investigate and consider creating a system that would allow alcohol retailers to check for legally defined, relevant prior alcohol-related convictions before completing certain alcohol sales. The purpose would not be to permanently punish people for their past. It would be to explore whether a carefully designed system could help prevent repeat offenses and protect people from avoidable harm.

Any such system should include strong safeguards, including:

- Clear legal definitions of which convictions would qualify.

- Reasonable time limits so that a person's entire past does not follow them forever.

- A process for correcting inaccurate or outdated records.

- Strong privacy and data-security protections.

- A way for people to challenge an incorrect match.

- Consideration of rehabilitation and successful completion of treatment or other court requirements.

- Rules that prevent retailers from making their own decisions about someone's criminal history. I am not claiming that every person with an alcohol-related conviction is dangerous, nor that restricting access to alcohol would solve alcohol-related violence by itself. I am asking lawmakers to examine whether targeted screening, combined with rehabilitation and other evidence-based approaches, could reduce repeat harm.

Why This Matters: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that excessive alcohol use was associated with an average of 178,307 deaths per year in the United States during 2020–2021. The CDC also notes that evidence-based policies can reduce excessive alcohol use and alcohol-related deaths. Those numbers represent real people and real families. For me, this issue is not just a statistic. I have seen what excessive drinking can do to someone I love, and I know how frightening its consequences can be for the people around them. I believe our laws should look for ways to prevent repeat harm while still recognizing that people can change.

What I Am Asking For:I am asking lawmakers to study this proposal seriously and determine whether a legally sound, privacy-protective system for identifying relevant prior alcohol-related convictions could be created. If such a system is determined to be ineffective, unfair, or impractical, lawmakers should consider other evidence-based measures that can protect families and communities from alcohol-related harm. But doing nothing should not be the only option. Please sign this petition to ask lawmakers to examine new ways to prevent repeat alcohol-related offenses, protect families, respect rehabilitation, and make our communities safer.