Earlier this month, two Iowa senators proposed a bill that would no longer allow cities or counties in the state to ban 19- and 20-year-olds from bars or other entertainment venues. It would, however, leave the decision up to individual businesses to set their own age limits.

With college towns in mind, this bill was created in hopes of keeping underage students away from binge drinking and house parties. The thinking is if 19- and 20-year-olds are allowed into places like bars and concert halls where their friends are, fewer would partake in dangerous drinking behaviors.

If this bill eventually passes, whether or not it would have its desired effect is still up in the air. Many bars, like some in Ames, choose to impose their own minimum age requirement so even if the bill is made into law, there is no guarantee that 19- and 20-year-olds would be let into the same bars as their friends. Even if bars did not impose minimum age requirements, there is no proving that Iowa college students would choose to stay sober at a bar rather than drink at a party.

Regardless if the bill does what it is intended to do, perhaps it is simply a step in the right direction for our society as a whole and college towns in particular. Social drinking has become a social norm, but drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and putting yourself at risk should not be accepted as normal or just an inevitable part of the college experience.

In addition to the possibility of keeping younger adults out of dangerous house parties, this bill would also put more power back in the hands of the business owners. Now, individual businesses could decide whether or not to allow 19- to 20-year-olds into their bars and other entertainment venues.

Business owners in all of Iowa’s cities would be able to choose to accept the revenue from 19- to 20-year-olds or decide to not allow them in the business and not accept the liability of having people under 21 around alcohol.

It is important that this bill would not force bars and other venues like concert halls to accept 19- and 20-year-olds and would not allow cities to force these businesses to go the other way. It is simply the business’ choice and who better know a business’ needs and wants than the owners or managers themselves?

Not long ago in this country, the drinking age itself was 18 and this discussion of bar-entry age for adults would be irrelevant. This bill does not, of course, lower the drinking age, but if the dissent for the bill comes from a fear that underage citizens will have increased access to alcohol, then the argument is not well founded. Allowing each business to decide its own policies will do nothing to harm Iowa bars, nor will it have a negative impact on young Iowans.