The Nation - News from May 22, 1986
The Department of Transportation can withhold funds from states that allow people under 21 to buy alcoholic beverages, a federal appeals court ruled in St. Louis. The three-judge panel upheld a lower court ruling that dismissed a lawsuit by South Dakota challenging a 1984 amendment to the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982. Under the law, the secretary of transportation can withhold 5% of a state’s federal transportation funding if the state has not adopted a minimum drinking age of 21 by Oct. 1, 1986. In South Dakota, beer with an alcohol content of 3.2% or lower can be sold to 19-year-olds.
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