Miss America 2006 Jennifer Berry (shown left), a national spokesperson for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), thanked Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard for her efforts in Congress to curb underage drinking at a briefing in the U.S. Capitol Building. Miss Berry, of Oklahoma, was in the nation's capital to encourage Members of Congress to support a measure - authored by the congresswoman - called "The STOP (Sober Truth on Preventing) Underage Drinking Act" (HR 864). The STOP Underage Drinking Act would create a permanent national media campaign aimed at parents to combat underage drinking. In addition, the measure would: establish a permanent interagency committee to coordinate the efforts of various federal agencies charged with addressing the problem; provide additional funding for the Drug Free Communities program; provide competitive grants to states, non-profits, and institutions of higher education to create statewide coalitions to prevent underage drinking and alcohol abuse by university students; and increase federal research into the physical impact of alcohol on adolescent brain development. During briefings, Miss Berry also talked about her platform-Building Intolerance to Drunk Driving and Underage Drinking-which was sparked from the death of her 15-year-old high school friend in 1999 due to a July 4th weekend underage drinking and driving crash.
 

-- ### --