Alaska Measure Would Require Universal ID Checks for Alcohol in Anchorage

A proposed measure would require universal ID checks for anyone buying alcohol in Anchorage, AK liquor stores and bars. An earlier version of the bill included restaurants, but that provision has been dropped, according to The Anchorage Daily News.

The Anchorage Assembly will consider the measure Tuesday. An advisory vote in an April city election favored the bill 2-1. The ordinance is designed to curb underage drinking and to catch people who try to buy alcohol even though they have been court-ordered not to do so. Since 2007, people who are barred from buying alcohol because they have been caught driving drunk have a red stripe on their driver’s license or state identification.

The bill would require universal ID checks for liquor stores starting this July 1. Bars wouldn’t have to start checking everyone’s ID until July 1, 2013.