Members of the audience shifted awkwardly in their seats as they waited for the woman of the hour.

The wooden doors finally opened and all eyes turned to her. Her heels clicked on the marble floor as she strode confidently into the room.

The stares of the audience shifted from her broad smile to her jeweled crown.

She held her head high like a queen, or rather, like Miss America.

Jennifer Berry visited the state Capitol Monday during her first official visit to her home state since she was crowned Miss America last month.

The elementary education senior is taking 18 months off from her studies at OU to fulfill her duties as Miss America.

Berry made an appearance at the Capitol in Oklahoma City to promote House Bill 3056, which would increase penalties for selling beer to minors.

Berry's platform as Miss America is "building intolerance to drunk driving and underage drinking."

Underage drinking is an important issue in the state and the nation, Berry said at a press conference Monday.

Berry said she was affected by alcohol at an early age. When she was 16, a 15-year-old friend of hers died because of underage drinking and driving.

"It was the first time I ever realized the impact of alcohol on my life," she said.

House Bill 3056 is an important step for the state to decrease underage drinking, she said.

Beauty and the Billo Jennifer Berry, elementary education senior, was crowned Miss Oklahoma in June and Miss America in January.o Her platform is building intolerance to drunk driving and underage drinking.o She is currently on her first official Oklahoma visit since being crowned.o Monday, she lent her support to House Bill 3056, which would increase penalties for selling alcohol to minors.

The bill was authored by Rep. Thad Balkman, R-Norman, and Sen. Jeff Rabon, D-Hugo. The House will vote on it this week, and if it passes, it will move to the Senate next week.

Underage drinking is "a serious problem," Rabon said. "We feel this [bill] is a giant step in protecting our kids and protecting our public."

The bill would strengthen the penalties for those serving beer to minors and increase penalties for minors who are caught purchasing beer, according to a press release.

Balkman said beer is the drink of choice among underage drinkers, and that it is just as possible to become drunk from beer as other alcoholic beverages.

The current laws don't treat beer sales to minors as harshly as sales of other alcohol, he said. House Bill 3056 addresses this problem by increasing the fines for these offenses, he said.

This also helps increase

enforcement of the current laws because the higher fines provide more revenue to local govern-

ments for law enforcement, Balkman said.

He said he was pleased to have Berry's support on the bill, and that people are more likely to listen to her because "she's better looking."

Berry said she feels strongly about the issue of underage drinking. When she was 18, she helped the Tulsa Sheriff's Department in several sting operations. She attempted to buy alcohol using her own license and she said she was successful at more than half of the stores.

She said the experience shocked her and made her want to do something to make alcohol less accessible to minors. The House bill would do that, she said.

Berry said she experienced underage drinking all around her at OU.

"Being in a college atmosphere, I'm telling you, it's going on all the time," she said.

Berry said most OU students didn't acknowledge the problem of underage drinking until Blake Adam Hammontree died in fall 2004 of alcohol-related causes.

"That's when it really came to the front burner that it's a problem," she said.

Berry worked with the Think If You Drink campaign when she was on campus.

"We saw a lot of success with (alcohol) education," she said.

OU students need to be more educated about the dangers of underage drinking, she said.

As part of her responsibilities as Miss Oklahoma and now as Miss America, Berry has been traveling to high schools and college campuses, speaking to students about the dangers of underage drinking.

Berry lamented the lack of concern many people have about underage drinking. Most people are no longer moved when they hear about someone killed by a drunk driver, she said.

"It seems it's lost its shock value," she said.

Berry plans to use the Miss America title to raise awareness about underage drinking.

"I want to end this year and leave a legacy that it's been brought to the national attention again," Berry said.

Berry and the new Miss Oklahoma, Jennifer Warren, were recognized for their achievements by the Oklahoma Senate on Monday.
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