[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 59 (Tuesday, May 12, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H3036-H3040]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      SENSE OF THE HOUSE WITH RESPECT TO WINNING THE WAR ON DRUGS

  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 423) expressing the sense of the House with 
respect to winning the war on drugs to protect our children.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 423

         
       Whereas drug abuse killed 14,218 Americans in 1995 and it 
     is estimated that nearly 114,000 Americans--many of them our 
     youth--will have died as a result of drug abuse by the end of 
     the period between 1992 and 2001, and it is estimated that 
     13,000,000 Americans used illegal drugs in 1996;
       Whereas American taxpayers footed a $150,000,000,000 bill 
     for drug-related criminal and medical costs in 1997, which is 
     more than we spent in 1997's Federal budget for programs to 
     fund education, transportation and infrastructure 
     improvements, agriculture, energy, space and all foreign aid 
     combined;
       Whereas 34 percent of Americans see drug interdiction as a 
     top priority foreign policy issue, above illegal immigration 
     and the threat of terrorism, and 39 percent of Americans 
     believe decreasing drug trafficking should be our primary 
     objective in United States policy toward Latin America; and
       Whereas the week of September 13 through 19, 1998 has been 
     designated as the ``Drug-Free America Blue Ribbon Campaign 
     Week'' to remind our children that they are not alone in the 
     fight for a Drug-Free America: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the House that--
       (1) the House declares its commitment to create a Drug-Free 
     America;
       (2) the Members of the House should work personally to 
     mobilize kids, parents, faith-based and community 
     organizations, educators, local officials and law enforcement 
     officers, as well as coaches and athletes to wage a winning 
     war on drugs;
       (3) the House pledges to pass legislation that provides the 
     weapons and tools necessary to protect our children and our 
     communities from the dangers of drug addiction and violence; 
     and
       (4) the United States will fight this war on drugs on three 
     major battlefronts:
       (A) Deterring demand.
       (B) Stopping supply.
       (C) Increasing accountability.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Hastert) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown), each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois, (Mr. Hastert).


                             General Leave

  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and to include extraneous material on H. Res. 423.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  (Mr. HASTERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we are facing a grave situation in this country, a 
situation that is not unlike scenes that we have faced within the last 
20 years. Our children are being constantly nibbled away at with the 
threat of drugs, drugs in our communities, drugs in our neighborhoods, 
drugs in our schools. And we have constantly tried to wage this war. 
Unfortunately, it has been a war that has not been coordinated over the 
years, a war that policy does not always meet the appropriations, and a 
war where the public hears a little bit but sees little.
  It is time for this Congress and this Nation to move forward to lay 
out a plan to win the war on drugs by the year 2002, to give the 
American people a solid plan to do this, to coordinate a policy and 
appropriations so the money goes to the place and gets the job done the 
quickest and the best. We must raise the level of awareness that there 
is a serious drug epidemic in our society.
  This winning the war on drugs resolution takes the initial step to do 
that by listing the unfortunate facts about drug usage, the associated 
costs borne by the American taxpayers through drug-related crime and 
violence as well as higher medical bills.
  I am pleased to see that just today the Congress has even pulled the 
President to the table and spurred him to propose a crime initiative 
that at its roots claims to target illegal drugs and money laundering, 
key aspects of the Speaker's Task Force for a Drug Free America agenda. 
This is a step in the right direction. National leaders need to come 
together. National leaders need to be engaged on this national problem.
  The resolution also designates the second week of September as Drug 
Free America Blue Ribbon Campaign Week so every American can join 
together to protest illegal drugs by wearing a straight blue ribbon. 
Finally and most importantly for this body, it declares the House 
commitment to win the war on drugs by deterring demand, stopping supply 
and increasing accountability.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution expressing the 
sense of the House with respect to winning the war on drugs to protect 
our children. Since the majority party did not, for whatever reason, 
have hearings on this bill, I thought I would just read for Members in 
the House that are watching today just the basic thrust of the bill:
  Resolved that it is the sense of the House that the House declares 
its commitment to create a Drug-Free America; that Members of the House 
should work personally to mobilize kids, parents, faith-based and 
community organizations, educators, local officials and law enforcement 
officers as well as coaches and athletes to wage a winning war on 
drugs; that the House pledges to pass legislation that provides the 
weapons and tools necessary to protect our children and our communities 
from the dangers of drug addiction and violence; and that the United 
States will fight this war on drugs on three major battle fronts: 
deterring demand, stopping supply, increasing accountability.
  That is the resolution in front of us. Who could oppose it?
  While I share my colleagues' commitment to protecting our children 
from the dangers of drug abuse, Mr. Speaker, I have my doubts that a 3-
page resolution which commits this House to the creation of a drug-free 
America will move the Nation any nearer to accomplish this goal. It 
will not stop one more child from using drugs. It will not prevent 
another young man or young woman from overdosing on drugs. It will not 
stop a single drug dealer from

[[Page H3037]]

peddling his poisons. Drug abuse in our schools, our workplaces and our 
communities remains a serious problem that demands serious answers. For 
these reasons, we must build on successful drug abuse prevention 
initiatives like the safe and drug-free schools program, which provides 
grants to State and local schools.
  These funds have helped thousands of schools and local communities 
across the country combat the scourge of drugs by allowing them to 
implement effective and creative prevention strategies based on the 
unique needs of the students they are trying to protect in the 
neighborhoods in which they live.
  In the district I represent in northeast Ohio, parents, teachers, and 
students in areas as diverse as the city of Lorain and Amish farm 
communities in Geauga County have utilized tools like this program to 
successfully fight drug abuse. These efforts across the country have 
helped millions of children reject the lure of illegal drugs and 
succeed in school. But our fight is not yet won. We clearly need more 
help.
  Additionally, this resolution will not stem the flood of illegal 
drugs which are being trafficked across our border with Mexico. A 
recent confidential report entitled ``Drug Trafficking, Commercial 
Trade and NAFTA on the Southwestern Border,'' by Operation Alliance, a 
task force led by the U.S. Customs Service, found that it is easier 
than ever to smuggle drugs into the United States through Mexico. 
According to the report, drug cartels have purchased legitimate 
trucking, rail and warehousing companies which they have used as fronts 
in their smuggling operations. Due to the flood of commercial vehicle 
traffic across our border, spawned by NAFTA, the failure of State 
governments, especially in Texas, to inspect trucks and our lax and 
inadequate inspection system, we have made it much easier for the drug 
cartels to smuggle their poisons into the United States. A former DEA 
official said, for Mexico's drug gangs, NAFTA was a deal made in narco-
heaven.
  So we find not only has this failed trade agreement cost American 
workers their jobs, it also put our children at greater risk by 
increasing their exposure to illegal drugs.
  Mr. Speaker, we will not deter drug abuse by passing 3-page 
resolutions expressing the sense of the House of Representatives. We 
will only help parents, teachers, and students by providing them with 
the resources and the tools they need to better educate our children to 
the dangers of drug abuse so they can avoid falling into its deadly 
grip.
  We undermine these efforts by passing bad trade agreements and 
ignoring the woefully inadequate interdiction efforts on our southwest 
border, in essence rolling out the red carpet to foreign drug 
smugglers. While I support this resolution before the body today, I do 
so in the hopes that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will 
join us in passing real meaningful legislation which will help protect 
our children from drugs.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I appreciate the gentleman from Ohio making the statement. I agree. A 
3-page resolution does not get the job done. But a 3-page resolution 
also makes a claim that this Congress has the will to get the job done. 
We lose 20,000 Americans each year to drugs and drug-related violence 
and gang violence on our street corners. Most of those are kids. We 
have to pass legislation that affects our communities, that affects our 
borders, that affects the flow of drugs from outside this country.
  I agree with the gentleman from Ohio, we need to do that. And my 
colleagues will see, as we start to roll out pieces of legislation 
every week for the next 10 weeks, that will affect exactly those 
issues.
  I join the gentleman from Ohio. I hope he will join us in putting 
together that legislation, voting on that legislation. That will do 
about six things. First of all, deal with treatment so that we have the 
most cost-effective treatment and available treatment in this country, 
to start to deal with communities so that we have the prevention 
programs that are important that we can deal with law enforcement, that 
they have the tools to get the job done, that we can deal with the 
borders, the Border Patrol, the INS, the Customs and those agents along 
that so we have a coordinated effort, and that we can put a stop to 
drugs moving across the border.
  We also need to deal with the whole issue of foreign source drugs 
coming into this country, and we also need to deal with the issue of 
money laundering. We will show a strong initiative over the next 10 
weeks, and I look forward to working with the gentleman from Ohio to 
get that done.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois 
for his comments and look forward to that challenge.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Reyes).
  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the 
time.
  I rise today to ask all of my colleagues to carefully look at what 
this bill states. This legislation asks that all Members work 
personally to mobilize all members of local communities in fighting 
drugs and that the House will pass legislation to provide the necessary 
resources to protect children and communities from the dangers of drug 
addiction and drug-related violence.
  I find it hard to imagine that anyone in this House would disagree 
with the intent of this legislation, and I find it hard to imagine that 
anyone would argue with the importance that this message sends.
  Let me say this: It is time for this Congress to act in a bipartisan 
manner and pass meaningful legislation to keep our communities free 
from drugs and give our children the opportunity to live and learn in a 
drug-free environment. We have all heard the staggering facts. More 
than 50 percent of high school seniors have experimented with drugs. 
The most likely cause of death for a 16-year-old is alcohol related. 
America's demand for drugs each year is estimated at 5 billion. We as a 
Nation have an obligation to do something about all of this. We as a 
Congress have an obligation to do something about this specific issue. 
We as parents have a duty to address and correct this serious problem.
  Congress has before it an aggressive, comprehensive drug legislative 
strategy. The Office of National Drug Control Policy or, as we know it, 
ONDCP, unveiled the 1998 National Drug Control Strategy in February of 
this year. For the first time the 1998 National Drug Control Strategy 
set specific performance objectives for antidrug programs.
  Under the national drug strategy, for each year over the next 10 
years antidrug programs will be held accountable for meeting specific 
performance goals. This is a bipartisan, aggressive, comprehensive plan 
which will drastically reduce illegal drug use in our country.
  Allow me to stress the fact that this plan reflects a bipartisan 
consensus on drug control policy. As a former border patrol chief who 
lived and worked on the border, I know the importance of cooperation 
when combatting drug trafficking.

                              {time}  1500

  There should never be an ``us'' versus ``them'' mentality when we are 
trying to help keep our kids alive.
  I urge all my colleagues to vote for this legislation and to take its 
message to heart: Pass meaningful legislation to keep our streets free 
from illegal drugs.
  I have introduced legislation which will increase the number of 
Customs and INS inspectors along our borders. This increase in manpower 
will provide us with another tool to combat drug traffickers and their 
relentless flood of narcotics into our Nation. This legislation will 
also provide technology to allow us to detect illegal narcotics and 
prevent those shipments from entering our communities and poisoning our 
children.
  I urge all of my colleagues to act in a responsible, bipartisan 
manner and support the ONDCP plan and support this legislation that 
will keep drugs off of our streets and away from our kids.
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Arkansas (Mr. Hutchinson).
  Mr. HUTCHINSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me

[[Page H3038]]

this time, and I particularly thank the gentleman from Illinois for his 
excellent leadership on this issue in the war against drugs and 
mobilizing Congress to take greater action.
  I rise in strong support of this resolution expressing the sense of 
Congress that all Americans must remain committed to combating the 
distribution, sale and use of illegal drugs by our Nation's youth. Why 
is this important? Because this war against drugs has to start with 
leadership, and we in Congress must provide that leadership.
  During recent weeks I have appeared in a town meeting in the small 
town of Gentry in my district, a town of about 1,400 people, in which 
they have had a number of youth that have been devastated by 
methamphetamine, and they have been sent to drug rehab programs. So the 
police chief and the mayor asked if I would come, as their Congressman, 
and address this community because they wanted to do more.
  I am going next week, or soon, to Waldron, another community with 
more drug problems.
  And so community after community is starting to recognize the danger 
of drugs and the impact that it has not just in terms of statistics, 
but in terms of the lives of our young people.
  I am a former Federal prosecutor, but more importantly, I am a parent 
who has had to raise teenagers during this very difficult time when 
peer pressure is devastating our young people and driving them into a 
life of drugs when they do not need to go that direction and know there 
is a better way.
  We are all familiar with the statistics. One study shows us that the 
number of 4th to 6th graders experimenting with marijuana has increased 
a staggering 71 percent between 1992 and 1997. Drug use among 12- to 
17-year-olds has jumped 78 percent since 1992. And the statistics go on 
and on.
  We know that each of those statistics represents the lives of 
individuals that are impacted, and this resolution shows a commitment 
of this Congress that will be followed up with legislation that has 
been outlined by the gentleman from Illinois. We start with that 
commitment, and that commitment also carries from community to 
community and shows those people in the communities that we should not 
be cynical about the war on drugs, that we do intend to do something.
  This Congress intends to do something. This Nation intends to do 
something. That is why I believe this resolution is important, and the 
legislation that will follow will back it up with meaningful action 
coming from this body.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I 
compliment the gentleman from Illinois.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton).
  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  Today the House will consider H.R. 423, a resolution to declare a war 
on drugs to protect children. While this resolution is not binding, it 
is important that we continue to express our commitment towards making 
America drug free.
  We should understand that we all have a responsibility and 
opportunity and that we can, indeed, do more than this bill purports to 
do, but this is an important first beginning.
  Crime in our communities has reached an intolerable level. Drug-
driven crime, violent crime, is spiraling out of control, particularly 
among juvenile offenders. The use of guns by young people against other 
young people is alarming. Our children's futures are at risk, and they 
put everyone else in the community at risk.
  There can be no more urgent time to act than this moment now in 
history. We can no longer postpone our responsibility in this. The drug 
and crime problem touches every State, every city, every neighborhood 
in the United States, both rural and urban.
  According to the Children's Defense Fund, every 2 hours in America a 
child is killed by firearms. Fifteen children will die today as a 
result of gunshot wounds. And every 14 seconds a child is arrested. 
North Carolina is no different as a rural State. Over the past 10 
years, in our State, juvenile arrests have almost doubled from 11,165 
in 1986 to 21,717 in 1996, a startling 93 percent increase.
  And the numbers are far worse for violent crimes, weapons violations 
and drug offenses. In North Carolina, violent crimes among juveniles, 
murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, increased by 129 percent 
over the past decade. Weapons violations increased by an incredible 492 
percent and drug violation by an unbelievable 460 percent.
  According to the Governor's Crime Commission, if the current trend 
continues in North Carolina, over the next 10 years, juvenile crime 
will again double and will reach a level that is three times higher 
than adult crime. It is no wonder that many of our young people are now 
planning their funerals rather than their futures.
  Just as hard work and concentrated action have helped to curb crime 
in our general community, the same kinds of effort must be focused to 
make sure that we curb juvenile crime.
  Some believe that the only key to juvenile crime can be found with 
more locks. Others, like the Covenant with North Carolina's Children, 
believe also that prevention plays a very important part in the answer. 
Whatever we believe, we should join together to support this resolution 
and continue our commitment.
  The future is now. We must not waste time. We must act to curb crime 
and we must do it while our young people still have a chance. We want 
to give our young people a chance, make sure we listen to them, provide 
opportunity for them to develop. Whatever we do, we should make sure 
that we know that we have a responsibility.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of this resolution.
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 15 seconds to say that I 
associate myself with the statement of the gentlewoman from North 
Carolina.
  Seventy percent of all people in prison are there probably because of 
drugs, 80 percent of our crime has a basis in drugs, and 75 percent of 
all domestic violence is there because of either drug or alcohol abuse. 
She is right on point.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/4\ minutes to the gentleman from Indiana 
(Mr. Burton), a leader on our committee and the task force on drugs.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to lend my support 
to H. Res. 423, the sense of the House offered by my colleague, good 
friend, and a great subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Illinois 
(Mr. Hastert). I know he is one of the most tenacious Members of this 
body when it comes to fighting drugs. He has been down to Latin 
America, Colombia, several times.
  I am proud to say that I have lent the gentleman my support in many 
of his counternarcotics efforts. He is the leader of the Speaker's Task 
Force for a Drug Free America, and I can think of no finer choice. As 
such, he is also the congressional drug czar. He has led many of the 
efforts and initiatives, along with the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Gilman), the chairman of the Committee on International Relations, 
myself, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder), the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Stearns), the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica), the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Shadegg), and others, which have caused the 
Clinton administration and its Drug Czar, General McCaffery, to take 
notice and to react to our proposals.
  The facts are simple, Mr. Speaker: Our kids are dying on the vine and 
the Clinton administration is looking the other way. There are nearly 
20,000 drug-related deaths in our country every year. Vice President Al 
Gore estimates that the annual societal cost of drugs in our country 
exceeds $60 billion. Yet the administration's war on drugs is to treat 
the wounded, spending more than $15 billion on domestic treatment, 
prevention, and law enforcement, while spending less than $1 billion on 
the source and transit zone operations where the drugs are grown and 
transported to American streets and school yards.
  Clearly, we should not cut the successful demand-side programs; 
rather we should increase the supply-side efforts to a level which is 
respectable, at a very minimum. The ambitious program of the gentleman 
from Illinois (Mr. Hastert) will combine these efforts and produce a 
well-thought-out, common-sense approach to winning the war on drugs.
  The anecdotes are many, but I would like to highlight this one: 
According to

[[Page H3039]]

the DEA, over the last 2 years there have been 35, count them, 35 
teenage Colombian heroin overdose deaths in the Orlando, Florida, area 
alone.
  The proof is in the pudding, as Colombian heroin has taken over the 
East Coast market, flooding it with cheap, extremely pure and deadly 
heroin. Indeed, the DEA confirms that more than 65 percent of the 
heroin seized on U.S. streets comes from Colombia. Yet the Clinton 
administration is without a heroin strategy and has fought tooth and 
nail to stop congressional efforts to combat this deadly problem which 
is sweeping across every town, big or small, in the country.
  Simply put: The Clinton administration refuses to acknowledge the 
problem and accept Congress' solution. Clearly, Congress has the only 
heroin solution and strategy.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me say I am proud to join my good friend 
in his courageous efforts to provide the legislative avenue to win the 
war on drugs. With an absence of leadership in the Clinton 
administration on this issue, Congress must act now before we lose 
another generation of American children to this deadly scourge.
  I salute the gentleman's efforts and hope he will let me know how I 
can help.
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Gilman), chairman of the committee on oversight that has the 
whole responsibility for overseeing drug operations.
  (Mr. Gilman asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today in strong support 
of House Resolution 423 by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), 
who is the chairman of our House task force on drugs, and I am pleased 
to cosponsor legislation reaffirming congressional support of fighting 
and winning our war against drugs.
  The threat posed by illegal drugs is one of the greatest national 
security threats confronting our Nation. This is the cold truth: 
Virtually all illegal drugs in our Nation come from overseas. And the 
sooner we recognize that drugs are as much a foreign as a domestic 
problem, the more effective our response will be.
  While opponents argue we spend too much on combating drugs, I contend 
they ignore the true cost of drug use in our society. In addition to 
costs associated with supply and demand reduction, drug use costs our 
Nation billions each year in health care expenses and lost 
productivity. Moreover, it also has intangible costs in terms of broken 
families, destroyed lives, many of whom are our young people.
  As chairman of our House Committee on International Relations, I have 
long been dedicated to enlisting the international community on 
fighting the scourge of illegal drugs. Regrettably, as of late, this is 
a battle which our Nation has not been winning.
  During the 1980s we made remarkable progress in reducing drug use and 
eliminating the view that drug use was socially acceptable. Between 
1979 and 1992 there was a significant drop in ``past month'' drug users 
from over 25 million down to 12 million. Our focus during that period 
was twofold: It followed a dual track of simultaneously reducing both 
supply and demand.
  Regrettably, this administration sharply curtailed interdiction 
funding and placed greater emphasis on demand reduction. The end result 
has been a sharp increase in the supply of drugs available on our 
streets, the highest purity levels ever encountered, and a resurgence 
of teenage drug use. From 1992 to 1996, teenage marijuana use doubled.
  More disturbing, though, is the data reporting a rise in heroin use 
among our teenagers. Drugs killed over 14,000 Americans in the last 1 
or 2 years.
  In essence, this administration's policy of focusing on demand 
reduction is being overwhelmed by the current state of the drug market. 
With many of our cities literally awash in heroin, the drug dealers are 
using supply to create demand.

                              {time}  1515

  In order to effectively combat the problem of illegal drug use, we 
are going to have to employ a balanced approach of reducing supply, 
reducing demand, and doing it simultaneously. Our strategy, to be 
effective, requires efforts from all levels of our government and 
society and cooperation by the international community.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this worthy resolution 
expressing our commitment to a drug-free America. For too long we have 
had a disjointed approach in combatting illegal drug use. If we as a 
Nation are willing to reduce use of tobacco, surely we should do the 
same for combatting the use of illegal drugs.
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining on 
each side?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bereuter). The gentleman from Illinois 
(Mr. Hastert) has 5\1/2\ minutes remaining. The gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Brown) has 7 minutes remaining.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Miller).
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this 
resolution which declares that we must win the war on drugs.
  Drug use is a serious problem in America. Most parents do not realize 
this, but over half of all high school seniors have admitted to using 
an illegal drug in their lifetime. It gets worse. Overall, drug use 
among 12- to 17-year-olds is up 78 percent since 1992, and marijuana 
use is up 141 percent.
  America has experienced an explosion in drug use during the last 6 
years. And study after study shows shocking levels that were 
unimaginable just a short decade ago. But these are not just 
statistics. They are numbers with broken homes and broken lives and 
destroyed futures.
  In the last 5 years, we have lost the war on drugs. And I am saddened 
by the lack of leadership from President Clinton. He has repeatedly 
sent the wrong message. In his first year, he cut funding for the drug 
czar's office. He reduced funding for drug interdiction. And Federal 
prosecutions have dropped under this presidency. Keeping drugs out of 
kids' hands is simply not a priority of this President.
  We are losing too many children to drugs. It is time to send the 
right message. America can win the war on drugs if we reverse the 
present course and send a clear signal to our kids that we are 
committed to a drug-free America.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. McCollum), who has been on the forefront in working on the 
supply side reduction of drugs.
  (Mr. McCOLLUM asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, we are here today to pass a resolution I 
strongly support, and I hope every Member of this body does, calling on 
legislation and an all-out effort to deter demand, stop supply, and 
have increased accountability in an effort to really create a war on 
drugs. We have not had that for a while.
  Since 1992, we have seen the teenage drug use in this Nation double. 
If this were anthrax coming into the country instead of drugs coming 
out of Latin America, cocaine and heroin, we would be at war, literally 
if not figuratively. We will be supplying the resources necessary to 
reduce the supply of drugs coming in here as well as taking it to the 
streets of this country with regard to law enforcement, community 
efforts, demand reduction in our schools, and so forth. We do not have 
the leadership right now to do that.
  This Congress is committed now in this resolution to a course of 
action to renew a war on drugs, to truly fight that war. First and 
foremost, that means reducing the supply of cocaine and heroin and 
other drugs entering this country by at least 80 percent over the next 
3 or 4 years so that we can drive the price of drugs up.
  There is an inverse proportion, all the experts say, to the price of 
drugs. The greater they are, the lower the teenage drug use. We need to 
do that in order to provide breathing room for our folks at home to be 
able to do their job to get drug use among teenagers down.
  On the other side of the coin, there are those who want to legalize 
drugs. The most absurd thing, in countries that have done that, we have 
seen double and triple the drug use among teenagers. Let us put the 
children first. Let

[[Page H3040]]

us pass this resolution, and then let us go back and provide the 
resources necessary to cut the supply of drugs by the necessary amount 
coming into this country from aboard whatever ships, planes and flying 
hours are needed, and get back on the streets doing our job.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Sessions), who is on the Speaker's drug task force.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman yielding me 
this time.
  Mr. Speaker, once again it is my privilege to speak before this body 
and to the American people. We cannot say enough how important the war 
on drugs is. This Resolution 423 clearly expresses our sense to the 
American people that no other victory other than the victory on the war 
on drugs to protect our children is acceptable.
  A few months ago, in the community of Lake Highlands, which is within 
the Fifth District of Texas, we were ravaged by vandalism; and it turns 
out that those perpetrators, those people who committed crimes, were 
high on marijuana laced with methamphetamines.
  It saddened me as a parent and also as a Member of Congress that our 
communities are being invaded by those who desire to pollute our 
children with killer drugs. We must act responsibly to address this 
issue by deterring demand, stopping supply, and increasing 
accountability.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert) 
has 1\1/2\ minutes remaining.
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Pappas).
  Mr. PAPPAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois for 
yielding me the time, and I thank him for his leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution states ``the House declares its 
commitment to create a drug-free America.'' For the past two weeks, we 
have adopted two bills, one resolution last week that I authored with 
the very similar message focusing on young people in schools, and the 
week before that a resolution dealing with the needle exchanges. Very, 
very clear messages, very simple messages. And I have been very 
disappointed back in my district in New Jersey, members of the media 
have made light of it, have made light of statements that this House 
and the vast majority of Members of this House have stated very clearly 
that drug use is unacceptable and a drug-free America is a goal worth 
fighting for.
  I stand here very proudly in supporting this resolution by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), and I urge the members of the 
media that they need to join in this fight, not make light of it, not 
be cynical, not be skeptical, but that we all as Americans might speak 
as one voice.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds.
  I appreciate the debate today and the sincerity of my friends on the 
other side of the aisle. I would hope that as we move on, and the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert) mentioned that there will be one 
of these every week or so for the next 10 weeks, I hope that as we get 
into more substantive debates and more substantive resolutions and more 
substantive legislation, that we do go through the committee process 
and work these through and are able to write, bipartisanly, together, 
the most effective substantive legislation we can.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remainder of the time.
  I wish to say, Mr. Speaker, that I appreciate the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Brown) joining with us today. This is, just as the gentleman said, 
3 pages of pages. It is merely words. It is actions that the American 
people want. It is the will of this country, it is the will of this 
Congress to get things done. It is moms and dads and teachers and 
preachers getting together and saying, ``We have had enough.'' On the 
prevention side, it is doing our job to make sure our borders are 
secure and the dollars go effectively to stop drugs flowing from other 
countries into this country.
  We owe it to ourselves, we owe it to this Congress, we owe it to the 
American people; and most of all, we owe it to our children and 
grandchildren. I ask for a positive vote on this legislation.
  Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, drugs are no stranger to my 
hometown of Plano, Texas. Since the beginning of last year, heroin has 
claimed the lives of thirteen young people in my district.
  Local police are working closely with community leaders and parents 
to stop this terrible epidemic. The heart of their mission is not just 
to stop the flow of drugs to these kids, but to get the word out that 
drugs kill.
  Because, you see, somewhere along the line, the message got lost. 
Somewhere along the line, kids got the idea that drugs weren't that 
bad. I guess that happens when even the President of the United States 
jokes about it on M.T.V.
  I've met with several law enforcement officials in Plano, and they 
all tell me the same thing--help us get the word out. And that's what 
we're doing here today.
  This resolution sends a clear message to the President and to the 
drug users of America that the good times end now. No more. We are 
committed to ending the scourge of drugs in this country. And the 
President had better get on board, or he's going to get left behind.
  We will not stand by and watch the future of our country waste away 
in a heroin haze. I owe it to the kids of Plano, Texas, just as the 
rest of this House owes it to the kids in their district. I urge my 
colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. LEWIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Res. 423 and to share with my colleagues my own experience in 
Kentucky's Second Congressional District.
  Last month, the Speaker's Task Force for a Drug-Free America unveiled 
a plan to renew America's commitment to win the war on drugs.
  As many of you know, our congressional agenda will focus on stopping 
supply, increasing accountability, and deterring demand.
  It is critical to protect our borders and to assist our federal, 
state and local agencies in this war. But I believe the real battle 
will be fought, and ultimately, won at the local level. This fight will 
be led by parents and community leaders. And I think we in this Chamber 
need to play an important leadership in this effort.
  Recognizing this fact, I started the Heartland Coalition anti-drug 
project. The goal is to activate grass-roots coalition groups in all 22 
counties in my district. We want every young person in the Second 
District to understand the dangers of drugs. These county groups are 
made up of parents, teachers, community leaders and members of law 
enforcement.
  Since the Heartland Coalition was introduced last year, we have:
  Held monthly meetings with the advisory council;
  Established a directory that lists every organization interested with 
combating drugs in each county; and
  Hosted a law enforcement summit which brought together community 
leaders involved in the anti-drug movement and law enforcement 
professionals.
  This fall we will focus on our youth. We will listen to teenagers 
from all over my district to learn their concerns, fears and thoughts 
on drugs.
  There is still a lot more to do, but the overwhelming support I have 
received from my constituents shows that we have taken a step in the 
right direction.
  So, the war on drugs will not be won from on-high in Washington but 
in the hearts and homes of all Americans. H. Res. 423 is a pledge from 
Congress we will stand ready to assist in this effort.
  Again, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for H. Res. 423.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time has expired.
  The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Illinois 
(Mr. Hastert) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution, H. Res. 423.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5 of rule I and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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