UPDATE: Sen. Brophy’s bill died in committee earlier this week on a vote of four to one.  It was a sad day for 18 year olds, veterans and Freedom across Colorado.

Senator Greg Brophy (R-Wray) has authored one of the most discussed bills at the Capitol this session – a bill that would allow parents to buy drinks for their 18 to 20-year old children in bars and restaurants.  On Tuesday, Sen. Brophy appeared on the Fox News Channel to explain the rationale behind his bill.

“…a lot of other people say that it’s absolutely crazy that you’re 19, 20 years old, you can risk your life for your country, you can vote, you can enter into contracts that will be binding for the rest of your life, but you can’t go have a beer.”

View the rest of the clip:

Brophy noted that he modeled his bill after a statute in Wisconsin, but narrowed it significantly. Nonetheless, Brophy expected some push back from those who “just don’t like that demon rum.” He addressed critics of the legislation:

“I can’t legislate good parenting skills, but what I can do is create an environment where good and responsible parents can teach their children how to be good and responsible adults. And that’s part of the goal of this.”

The legislation sounds well-thought-out and reasonable.  Sen. Brophy’s willingness to tackle this controversial issue in a rationale manner is one of the reasons he was nominated to be on our “Legislators to Watch in 2013” list.