San Mateo Lawmaker Wants Party Bus Crackdown

SAN MATEO (KCBS)_ A Peninsula lawmaker wants to expand state rules to protect against under-age drinking in party buses.

The move was prompted by the death of a Burlingame teenager earlier this year.

19-year-old Brett Studebaker died February 5th while driving drunk after a couple of hours aboard a chartered party bus.

Assemblyman Jerry Hill D-San Mateo said unlike party buses, limos must verify ages before alcohol is served and alcohol cannot be served if minors are passengers.

KCBS' Margie Shafer Reports:

"The bus had three bars in it, televisions, and stripper poles. It was just a bus for partying and it would just drive around almost going in circles for three or four hours, and people would just drink. The law that's currently in place does not apply to party buses," said Hill.

Hill added that there is a clear loophole in the law with the public utilities code that does not allow for the same rules and regulations that apply to limousine operators and drivers.

The Assemblyman said he plans to introduce legislation to close that loophole December 6th.

(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)