[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 85 (Wednesday, June 18, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5945-S5947]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DRUG FREE COMMUNITIES ACT OF 1997
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 65, H.R. 956.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (H.R. 956) to amend the National Narcotics
Leadership Act of 1988 to establish a program to support and
encourage local communities that first demonstrate a
comprehensive, long-term commitment to reduce substance abuse
among youth, and for other purposes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate
consideration of the bill?
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, today the Senate is giving final
approval to the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997. This bill will help
protect our children from the deadly danger of drugs. By approving this
bill, we are putting more resources in the hands of those who are
making a difference in the fight against drugs: parents, teachers,
coaches, and civic and religious leaders.
At the same time, though, the bill is fiscally responsible. In this
time of tight fiscal constraints, we have created a bill that does not
increase the Federal deficit by a single penny. The legislation simply
redirects existing Federal funds from less productive areas of the drug
control budget to community-based anti-drug coalitions with proven
track records in the fight against drugs. What's more, the bill
requires a financial commitment from communities that seek funds. The
requirement of matching grants will force the communities to
demonstrate an even greater commitment to fighting drug abuse before
receiving Federal funds.
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The Drug-Free Communities Act has attracted the support of more than
150 State and local law enforcement groups, churches, and other
organizations. On the national level, it has been endorsed by groups as
diverse as Mothers Against Drunk Drivers and William Bennett's Empower
America. In my own State, the South Dakota Department of Human Services
and Siouxland Cares have also committed their support. As these
endorsements suggest, this bill represents a wonderful opportunity to
provide meaningful help to community anti-drug coalitions in South
Dakota and throughout the country.
I am extremely pleased that my colleagues are supporting this
legislation to keep our children away from drugs, and drugs away from
our children.
Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I thank the Senator for bringing the Drug
Free Communities Act to the floor today. I am proud to be an original
cosponsor of this legislation--and I urge all my colleagues to support
it today.
We face an epidemic of drug abuse in this country--particularly among
children. Substance abuse by young people has more than doubled during
the past 5 years, and children are beginning to use drugs at younger
ages. This trend has major implications for public health, which
include the dangers of long-term addiction and disease. There also are
costs to society as a whole in the form of poorer educational
achievement, lost productivity, increased health care costs, and higher
levels of crime. The most important cost, however, is the tragic loss
of the potential and aspirations of many of our young people.
During America's long fight against substance abuse, community-based
coalitions have offered a way to turn this situation around. These
coalitions have consistently shown that grassroots efforts to educate
young people about the dangers of drug abuse do work. It is clear that
a Federal drug abuse strategy must complement and enhance community
actions wherever possible.
Recognizing the success of community-based programs, the Drug Free
Communities Act will enhance programs that work by providing matching
grants to community coalitions with proven track records. This is a
sensible approach, because it builds on the hard-won, practical
experience of people who have been in the forefront of the fight
against substance abuse.
America's children are our most important resource, and substance
abuse places them at great risk. The Drug Free Communities Act will
enhance the ability of communities across the country to protect the
health of their young people. This proposal has great potential for
success and deserves our wholehearted support.
Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I rise today to express support for the
Drug-Free Communities Act and I would like to commend its sponsors,
Senators Grassley, Daschle, DeWine, and D'Amato for their efforts in
developing this important legislation.
Unfortunately, a recent poll conducted by the Partnership for a Drug-
Free America indicated that younger and younger children are using
drugs. This poll is only the latest evidence of a very disturbing trend
of increasing drug use by young people. It is important that we act to
stop drug use and to prevent the devastation that drug use will have on
America's young people.
The Drug-Free Communities Act is an important step in this effort.
This legislation provides local community groups, who have proven track
records addressing teen drug use, with the funding they need to really
combat drug usage. The Drug-Usage Communities Act creates an advisory
commission, consisting of local community leaders, who will oversee the
program and make sure that funds are directed to those groups that are
successful in fighting drug use by America's children. The act provides
funding only to those groups that can match the Federal dollars with
non-Federal funds, ensuring that viable community groups will
participate in the program and sustain anti-drug efforts as the fight
continues. Lastly, the Drug-Free Communities Act requires no new
funding. Funds will come from the $16 billion Federal drug control
budget.
This legislation is extremely important to the war on drugs. With the
latest news that our efforts are flagging, that children are giving in
to the temptation of drugs, we must fight back. The drug dealers are
not waiting to approach our children, they never hesitate to make a
sale. We cannot delay in fighting for them. We must reinvigorate the
effort to protect our children. We must pass the Drug-Free Communities
Act.
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I'm pleased that the Senate is turning
its attention today to the Drug Free Communities Act. As a cosponsor of
this legislation, I want to thank Senator Grassley for his leadership
in developing the bill and the chairman for agreeing to move it through
the committee expeditiously. This is an important bill for children and
communities, and it deserves to be passed quickly and signed into law.
The Drug Free Communities Act will provide needed support to local
partnerships, which play an important role in helping children and
teens to resist drugs. My State of Wisconsin currently has 132 such
community-based partnerships--groups of parents, teachers, community
and religious leaders, youth advocates, and others who come together to
teach leadership skills and provide kids with alternative activities
and opportunities.
In Marshfield, WI, for instance, the Wood County Partnership Council
has focused on activities to reduce drunk driving by teens. Programs
sponsored by the council have included regional teen institutes, parent
to parent workshops, and general prevention training of community
members.
In Milwaukee, Neighborhood Partners has developed grassroots
neighborhood organizations which focus on preventing substance abuse
and drug-related crime. These organizations have helped to establish
neighborhood watch programs, after school tutorial programs, and block
patrols. Two years after founding this partnership, the personal
property crime rate in the targeted area fell by 16 percent, as
compared with a Milwaukee-wide decrease of 12 percent.
These are the sorts of programs that might apply for funding under
the Drug Free Communities Act, in order to help support parents and
other community volunteers reach more youths with their important
messages.
No new funds will be appropriated under H.R. 956. Instead, funding
for qualifying local partnerships will be diverted from the existing
$16 billion drug control budget. In order to ensure that the coalitions
receiving these Federal dollars are sustainable, grants will be made
available only to broad-based, local partnerships that have been active
for at least 6 months, and are able to match their Federal awards
dollar for dollar, with either cash or in-kind contributions.
Supporting locally-based prevention initiatives is a critical piece
of a comprehensive drug control strategy. The Judiciary Committee, on
which I sit, spends a good deal of time addressing issues of crime that
stem from youth and adult drug use. I'm pleased that today the Senate
is focusing, in a bipartisan way, on preventing the root cause of so
much crime, by supporting parents and localities in their efforts to
prevent youth drug use.
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be
considered read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be
laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the bill be
placed at the appropriate place in the Record.
Mr. FORD. Mr. President, reserving the right to object--and I will
not object--there is no objection on this side. I would like to note
that the distinguished Democratic leader, Senator Daschle, who is
unable to be here this evening, is a cosponsor of this legislation and
endorses it highly.
I have no objection.
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I might go beyond that and say this has
very, very broad bipartisan support.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, so ordered.
The bill (H.R. 956) was passed.
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I am pleased that the Senate has passed
H.R. 956, the Drug Free Communities Act of 1997, today. Earlier this
month, this same bill was approved by a vote of 420 to 1 in the other
body. As you know, I, along with 18 of my colleagues, introduced a
companion version of this legislation in the Senate
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earlier this year. By the close of business today, this legislation has
garnered a total of 29 cosponsors.
Mr. President, this is an outstanding show of support for this
important piece of legislation. When each of us return home over
recess, we meet with the people that we represent. We listen to their
problems, and we listen to their solutions. And when we talk about
drugs, and talk about what can be done to keep our kids from using
drugs, it always comes back to the community. What matters most is what
parents, schools, churches, law enforcement, community groups, and
businesses do, working together, to keep our kids drug free.
This legislation will support these efforts. It will allow
communities with established coalitions, coalitions that have a proven
track record, to receive matching funds to support their efforts. It
will provide additional resources in the hands of those who make a
difference; people that our children respect and listen to: parents.
Placing resources at the community level allows parents, teachers,
community, and religious leaders to use these funds to make a
difference in the lives of our children, our future.
I want to thank my colleagues and co-sponsors on both sides of the
aisle. I particularly want to thank Senator Daschle, Senator DeWine,
Senator Biden, and Senator Hatch and many others for their support and
efforts in moving this legislation.
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