Minor-In-Possession Changes Considered

State Senator Rick Jones has proposed a couple of bills that might just get him invited to some fraternity parties. A bill due up for a vote today in a House committee would turn the first arrest for being a minor in possession of alcohol from a criminal violation to a civil infraction. Jones says it’s just not right that some young lives are ruined because they have a beer. Jones, a Republican from Grand Ledge and former Eaton County sheriff, has also just proposed new legislation that would allow stores in Ann Arbor to ignore a new city ordinance that changes the legal age for purchasing cigarettes from 18 to 21. Jones thinks it will hurt mom and pop stores in the city, driving business to the burbs.