All beer customers may have to show ID

Whether a person looks 21 may soon be a thing of the past as the state legislature is close to requiring universal carding for anyone trying to buy alcohol in Tennessee.

?We are for anything that streamlines the process,? said McMinnville Police Capt. Bryan Denton whose department has run undercover beer-buying operation on a near annual basis. ?This would take out any wiggle room where people claim the agent looked older than 21.?

If Gov. Phil Bredesen signs the bill into law it will make Tennessee the first state with universal carding. The law would require anyone trying to buy alcohol to show proof of age. Presently, local lawmen say the ?appearance? issue is the biggest defense being used by businesses cited for selling alcohol to people under 21.

?You would not believe the clerks who use that as an excuse for selling to underage people,? Denton said. ?I?m sure some people will say this is an inconvenience but I think the upside will be it will cut down on businesses selling to underage customers.?

A controversial question still being debated is whether driving certificates can be used as ID. The certificates, formerly issued to illegal immigrants to ensure they had passed driving tests, are no longer positive forms of ID since there was a large black market for them.

If passed, the law would be for one year as a trial run unless the General Assembly renews it.