National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984

E101771

The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 is a U.S. federal law that effectively established 21 as the nationwide minimum legal drinking age by conditioning states’ highway funds on compliance.

All labels observed (3)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal statute
federal highway funding law
appliesTo District of Columbia
U.S. states
U.S. territories receiving federal highway funds
challengedInCase South Dakota v. Dole
codifiedIn 23 U.S.C. § 158
conditions states must prohibit public possession of alcoholic beverages by persons under 21
states must prohibit purchase of alcoholic beverages by persons under 21
constitutionalBasisClaimed Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution
country United States
dateSigned 1984-07-17
effect all U.S. states adopted 21 as minimum legal drinking age
effectiveDate 1984-07-17
enactedBy United States Congress
geographicScope nationwide in the United States
influencedBy Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Presidential Commission on Drunk Driving
involvesAgency National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
United States Department of Transportation
legalMechanism conditional spending
withholding of federal highway funds
legislativeBody 98th United States Congress
motivatedBy concerns about drunk driving by youth
interstate travel by young drinkers to lower-age states
penaltyForNonCompliance reduction of federal highway construction funds
penaltyPercentageInitial 5 percent of certain highway funds
penaltyPercentageSubsequent 10 percent of certain highway funds
policyArea alcohol regulation
public health
transportation safety
primaryPurpose to establish a nationwide minimum legal drinking age of 21
to reduce alcohol-related traffic fatalities among youth
publicLawNumber Public Law 98-363
relatedTo Federal-Aid Highway Act
Highway Safety Act
requiresMinimumAge 21
shortName National Minimum Drinking Age Act
signedBy Ronald Reagan
signingPresident Ronald Reagan
statutesAtLargeCitation 98 Stat. 435
subjectMatter federal-state relations
highway safety
minimum legal drinking age
supremeCourtDecisionYear 1987
title An Act to encourage a uniform minimum drinking age of 21
typeOfSanction fiscal sanction
upheldBy United States Supreme Court
yearEnacted 1984

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Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

South Dakota v. Dole relatedStatute National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984
National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 shortName National Minimum Drinking Age Act
linked to: National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984
National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 title An Act to encourage a uniform minimum drinking age of 21
linked to: National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984
Frank Lautenberg sponsored National Minimum Drinking Age Act
linked to: National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984