[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 22 (Thursday, February 15, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1517-S1518]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Mr. Harkin, and Mr. Cochran):
  S. 374. A bill to authorize the operation by the National Guard of 
counterdrug schools, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Armed 
Services.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I want to draw my colleagues' attention 
to the critical role our National Guard plays in efforts to rid our 
country of illegal drugs--a role that I believe should be expanded. The 
Guard operates several regional support schools around the nation, that 
facilitate valuable training for state and local law enforcement 
agencies. These schools are dedicated to teaching counterdrug-related 
skills to State and local law enforcement agencies and community based 
organizations. These counterdrug schools provide training to thousands 
of people each year that would otherwise not be able to receive it for 
a lack of resources.
  Operating under the authority of Title 32, United States Code, 
Section 112, the National Guard actively supports local, state, and 
federal law enforcement agencies and community based antidrug 
coalitions. As a part of this effort, the National Guard currently 
operates four schools that provide unique and invaluable assistance to 
those individuals at the forefront of our country's drug interdiction 
and demand reduction effort. These schools, located in Pennsylvania, 
Florida, Mississippi, and California, have proved their effectiveness 
in developing training and educational opportunities for local law 
enforcement officials--opportunities that would not otherwise exist.
  I note, however, that the vagaries in funding and geographical 
distribution of the existing schools have limited the effectiveness of 
these training programs. Our national drug problem is not a coastal 
problem, but affects all communities throughout the United States. I 
believe we need a more centrally located school to provide more 
accessible training in the Midwest and Northwest United States.
  In addition to the need for a fifth school in the upper-Midwest, we 
should also consider the current budgeting process for these schools. I 
believe a critical element in achieving quality training for law 
enforcement and being cost-effective at the same time must include a 
unified National Guard Counterdrug schools budget which fully funds the 
schools. Rather than being pieced together from the National Guard 
State budgets, Defense Department support, and Congressional line 
items, there should be a discrete item for these National Guard schools 
so Congress can have a clearer idea of the mission, the funding, and 
the accomplishments of these schools.
  Today, joining with my colleagues Senator Harkin and Senator Cochran, 
I am introducing legislation that will accomplish these objectives. 
This legislation clarifies the authorities of the National Guard Bureau 
to operate the four existing counterdrug schools. In addition, it would 
establish one additional school in Iowa to serve law enforcement 
agencies in the Midwest and Northwest United States. It will establish 
a separate line of funding for these counterdrug schools with an 
authorized funding level of $25 million for FY 2002.
  I want to take a moment to say something additional about the fifth 
school (Midwest Counterdrug Training Center, MCTC, to be established at 
Camp Dodge, located in Johnston, Iowa. Designed to fulfill a need for 
training in the Midwest and Northwest United States, it would be 
primarily supported by the Iowa National Guard, and serve as a training 
center for State and local law enforcement agencies in the Midwest and 
Northwest United States. Camp Dodge has much of the physical 
infrastructure necessary for the school, including housing and being 
the hub for a state-wide fiber optic network that allows for live, two 
way video and audio communication between Camp Dodge and every National 
Guard Armory and school district in the State of Iowa.
  I hope all of my colleagues will join me in supporting this 
legislation, which I now send to the desk and ask that it be printed in 
the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 374

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. NATIONAL GUARD COUNTERDRUG SCHOOLS.

       (a) Authority To Operate.--Under such regulations as the 
     Secretary of Defense may prescribe, the Chief of the National 
     Guard Bureau may establish and operate not more than five 
     schools (to be known generally as ``National Guard 
     counterdrug schools'') for

[[Page S1518]]

     the provision by the National Guard of training in drug 
     interdiction and counter-drug activities, and drug demand 
     reduction activities, to the personnel of the following:
       (1) Federal agencies.
       (2) State and local law enforcement agencies.
       (3) Community-based organizations engaged in such 
     activities.
       (4) Other non-Federal governmental and private entities and 
     organizations engaged in such activities.
       (b) Counterdrug Schools Specified.--The National Guard 
     counterdrug schools operated under the authority in 
     subsection (a) are as follows:
       (1) The National Interagency Civil-Military Institute 
     (NICI), San Luis Obispo, California.
       (2) The Multi-Jurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force 
     Training (MCTFT), St. Petersburg, Florida.
       (3) The Midwest Counterdrug Training Center (MCTC), to be 
     established in Johnston, Iowa.
       (4) The Regional Counterdrug Training Academy (RCTA), 
     Meridian, Mississippi.
       (5) The Northeast Regional Counterdrug Training Center 
     (NCTC), Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania.
       (c) Use of National Guard Personnel.--(1) To the extent 
     provided for in the State drug interdiction and counter-drug 
     activities plan of a State in which a National Guard 
     counterdrug school is located, personnel of the National 
     Guard of that State who are ordered to perform full-time 
     National Guard duty authorized under section 112(b) of that 
     title 32, United States Code, may provide training referred 
     to in subsection (a) at that school.
       (2) In this subsection, the term ``State drug interdiction 
     and counter-drug activities plan'', in the case of a State, 
     means the current plan submitted by the Governor of the State 
     to the Secretary of Defense under section 112 of title 32, 
     United States Code.
       (d) Annual Reports on Activities.--(1) Not later than 
     February 1, 2002, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of 
     Defense shall submit to Congress a report on the activities 
     of the National Guard counterdrug schools.
       (2) Each report under paragraph (1) shall set forth the 
     following:
       (A) The amount made available for each National Guard 
     counterdrug school during the fiscal year ending in the year 
     preceding the year in which such report is submitted.
       (B) A description of the activities of each National Guard 
     counterdrug school during the year preceding the year in 
     which such report is submitted.
       (3) The report under paragraph (1) in 2002 shall set forth, 
     in addition to the matters described in paragraph (2), a 
     description of the activities relating to the establishment 
     of the Midwest Counterdrug Training Center in Johnston, Iowa.
       (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--(1) There is hereby 
     authorized to be appropriated for the Department of Defense 
     for the National Guard for fiscal year 2002, $25,000,000 for 
     purposes of the National Guard counterdrug schools in that 
     fiscal year.
       (2) The amount authorized to be appropriated by paragraph 
     (1) is in addition to any other amount authorized to be 
     appropriated for the Department of Defense for the National 
     Guard for fiscal year 2002.
       (f) Availability of Funds.--(1) Of the amount authorized to 
     be appropriated by subsection (e)(1)--
       (A) $4,000,000 shall be available for the National 
     Interagency Civil-Military Institute, San Luis Obispo, 
     California;
       (B) $8,000,000 shall be available for the Multi-
     Jurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training, St. 
     Petersburg, Florida;
       (C) $3,000,000 shall be available for the Midwest 
     Counterdrug Training Center, Johnston, Iowa;
       (D) $5,000,000 shall be available for the Regional 
     Counterdrug Training Academy, Meridian, Mississippi; and
       (E) $5,000,000 shall be available for the Northeast 
     Regional Counterdrug Training Center, Fort Indiantown Gap, 
     Pennsylvania.
       (2) Amounts available under paragraph (1) shall remain 
     available until expended.
       (g) Funding for Fiscal Years After Fiscal Year 2002.--(1) 
     The budget of the President that is submitted to Congress 
     under section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, for any 
     fiscal year after fiscal year 2002 shall set forth as a 
     separate budget item the amount requested for such fiscal 
     year for the National Guard counterdrug schools.
       (2) It is the sense of Congress that--
       (A) the amount authorized to appropriated for the National 
     Guard counterdrug schools for any fiscal year after fiscal 
     year 2002 should not be less than the amount authorized to be 
     appropriated for those schools for fiscal year 2002 by 
     subsection (e)(1), in constant fiscal year 2002 dollars; and
       (B) the amount made available to each National Guard 
     counterdrug school for any fiscal year after fiscal year 2002 
     should not be less than the amount made available for such 
     school for fiscal year 2002 by subsection (f)(1), in constant 
     fiscal year 2002 dollars, except that the amount made 
     available for the Midwest Counterdrug Training School should 
     not be less than $5,000,000, in constant fiscal year 2002 
     dollars.

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, today I am introducing two bills that I 
believe will help address a critical need for Iowa state and local law 
enforcement.
  These bills, which would provide needed training assistance in 
narcotics as well as overall law enforcement, are based on my 
conversations with Iowa law enforcement officials last summer.
  The National Guard Counter Drug Schools Act, which I am cosponsoring 
with my colleague from Iowa, Senator Grassley, would create a new 
counterdrug training school at Camp Dodge in Johnston, Iowa that law 
enforcement can use for the specialized training on drug 
investigations, including those cases that involve methamphetamine.
  The National Guard has four of these centers in Florida, 
Pennsylvania, California and Mississippi. But, Senator Grassley and I 
recognized the need for one in the Midwest--to help state and local law 
enforcement in their efforts to reduce the supply and demand of 
methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs.
  The second one, which I am cosponsoring with Senator Hutchinson from 
Arkansas, would focus on rural law enforcement--and would provide new 
training and assistance resources for small town sheriff and police 
departments.
  Right now, rural law enforcement officers in Iowa and across the 
country have limited resources where they can get continued training 
for general investigations, the latest in forensics technology and 
technical assistance.
  One place where many of them go is the National Center for Rural Law 
Enforcement in Little Rock, Arkansas. But, these small departments need 
something that's closer to home.
  The Rural Law Enforcement Assistance Act would bring the Center 
closer to these officers by expanding the center into branches in eight 
regions across the country.
  I believe these two bills will help ensure that rural law enforcement 
agencies receive the training and assistance they need to make their 
communities safer.
                                 ______