[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 138 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H12179]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HOUSE TO INSTITUTE RANDOM DRUG TESTING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York [Mr. Solomon] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, there is something happening throughout 
this country which is so discouraging, and that is the escalating 
illegal drug use by Americans, particularly young Americans. We have 
seen the reports just recently that among 12- and 13-year-olds that 
illegal drug use is up by 137 percent over the last 4 years. In youth 
14 and 15 years of age it is over 200 percent. It is a situation that 
seems to be getting worse and worse.
  Now it is estimated that 75 percent of all the crime against women 
and children, the abuse of women and children, is drug-related. Mr. 
Speaker, that is just absolutely intolerable. Studies have shown in the 
past that 75 percent of all the drug use in America is used not by the 
inner core areas of the country where we seem to see all the killings 
taking place, but 75 percent of all the illegal drug purchases in 
America actually come from outside the inner core cities. It comes from 
the suburbs of our cities where even the upper-middle-class people are 
driving in, purchasing these drugs, taking them back and using them on 
a recreational weekend; and, Mr. Speaker, that is what props up the 
price of illegal drugs in this country and that is why we have to make 
an all-out effort with everything that we can do in government to try 
to prevent this from happening.
  That is why on the opening day of this Congress next year, I will be 
offering an amendment to the rules of the House which will require 
random drug testing of all Members of Congress, and of their staffs as 
well, both on the committee staffs and personal staffs. It is not 
because I think that there is any wide abuse by Members of Congress or 
even of their staffs with using illegal drugs but, Mr. Speaker, we have 
to help set the example for the rest of the country. Back in the early 
1980's--1983 and 1984--President Reagan at the urging of myself and 
others implemented random drug testing in our military. At that time 
there was an estimated drug use of 25 percent by our active military 
personnel. Within several years of random drug testing, that average 
had dropped from 25 percent down to less than 4 percent, to what it is 
today. If we could lower that 4 percent throughout the entire Nation, 
what a difference that would make. That is why major corporations like 
the General Electric Co. and IBM and others have random drug testing of 
their employees.
  We need to set the example in this Congress and make it a condition 
of employment that if they are going to work for the House of 
Representatives, that they are going to submit as a condition of their 
employment to random drug testing. That way there can be no violations. 
It simply is a question of their duty as a part of being paid to submit 
to the random drug testing. If we could do that, if we could do it 
throughout the Federal Government, and if we could do it at the State 
and the county and the town and village and city levels, just think 
what that would be with all those massive employees. And then if we 
could encourage the rest of the private sector to do the same thing, it 
would then become very unhip for people to be using drugs. If they knew 
they were going to go to a hockey game, a football game, a basketball 
game or to a cocktail party and people were going to turn up their 
noses at them when they were using these drugs recreationally, let me 
assure you they would soon stop doing it, especially if they thought 
that their good job was going to be affected.
  Mr. Speaker, I wanted to call attention to the Members that that rule 
change will be taking place on January 3 when this Congress reconvenes. 
I thank the Speaker for his time. I also thank him for his leadership 
over all these years of helping me with legislation that we have 
implemented on the floor of this Congress dealing with this particular 
issue of illegal drugs.

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