[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 38 (Thursday, March 30, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E467-E468]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             2000 EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT

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                               speech of

                           HON. VAN HILLEARY

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 29, 2000

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under

[[Page E468]]

     consideration the bill (H.R. 3908) making emergency 
     supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending 
     September 30, 2000, and for other purposes:

  Mr. HILLEARY. Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased today to support this 
important amendment, which will help clean up methamphetamine labs and 
come to the aid of law enforcement across the country.
  Last year, funding was ended for this support program, and the funds 
were entirely diverted into training. I feel that decision was a 
mistake. Local law enforcement needs this money directly in order to 
offset the high costs associated with meth lab cleanups. They need it 
in order to more effectively fight the war on drugs and clean up the 
contamination and environmental problems these labs leave behind.
  In my own district, individuals like Sheriff Eddie Bass of Giles 
County in Tennessee have effectively used these dollars in the past. 
Working in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Agency, Sheriff Bass 
has made great strides in reducing the number of methamphetamine labs 
in Giles County. But cleaning up these labs in expensive, very 
expensive for rural law enforcement agencies that have limited 
resources to begin with. Our rural law enforcement officers, like 
Sheriff Bass need our help to combat this national problem.
  Sheriff Bass has already implemented state-of-the-art programs and 
facilities. I personally have toured the local jail in Giles County and 
can say from first-hand experience that it is deserving of every 
accolade as one of the model examples in the state. Now, I also want to 
provide him, and outstanding officials like him, the ability to 
continue the model meth lab cleanup programs that they had in place.
  We must give officials like Sheriff Bass the support that they need. 
Otherwise, we will be sending them a message that it may not be 
financially worth their trouble to stop the production in these labs. 
Let's instead send a message to drug dealers and producers that we will 
stand behind the efforts of federal and local law enforcement in the 
war against drugs in our communities.
  I encourage all of my colleagues to support this amendment so that 
these dollars will once again be able to be used by local law 
enforcement officials like Sheriff Bass.

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