[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 19, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S2078]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CONRAD:
  S. 2030. A bill to establish a community Oriented Policing Services 
anti-methamphetamine grant program, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, today I introduce legislation intended to 
marshal the resources of the Federal Government, the expertise of State 
and local law enforcement, and the eyes, ears, and caring of our 
Nation's communities, to work together to eradicate the scourge of 
methamphetamine from our Nation.
  Meth statistics are startling, not only for what they say about where 
we are currently, but even more important about the potential magnitude 
of the problem in our very near future. Nationwide U.S. Drug 
Enforcement Administration, DEA, meth lab seizures have increased 
seven-fold from 1994 to 2000. The North Dakota lab seizure numbers are 
even more dramatic: a nearly twenty-fold increase from 1998 to 2001. 
Among 2001 high school seniors, 6.9 percent had tried meth; the eighth-
grade figure was 4.4 percent. Even more startling perhaps is that 28.3 
percent of high school seniors said it was ``fairly easy'' or ``very 
easy'' to obtain meth. This is particularly alarming because meth is 
more addictive than cocaine, leading to paranoia, aggression, violent 
behavior, and hallucinations, and ultimately, and amazingly quickly, to 
brain damage similar to Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and epilepsy.
  The COPS Anti-Methamphetamine Act of 2002 has one aim, to focus the 
principles of community policing on the problem of methamphetamine. 
Since its inception in 1994, the Community Oriented Policing Services 
COPS, program has been a catalyst for establishing a partnership 
between police and the community, leading to a reduction in crime and a 
strengthening of our neighborhoods. It is now time to tightly focus the 
COPS success on our nation's meth scourge.
  Until now, meth use and production has too often occurred underground 
and below the radar screens of local law enforcement. My COPS 
methamphetamine initiative, by bringing the community and the local 
police closer together, will help law enforcement to react more quickly 
before a meth epidemic get ingrained in a locality, to weed it out 
before its roots get too deep. If a meth problem already exists in a 
neighborhood, the community-oriented policing model will allow police 
to have a better pulse on the drug market, on both the supply and the 
demand ends to better know the market's pressure points.
  My initiative calls for five years of grants, at $75 million a year, 
to be given to localities for programs aimed at anti-meth enforcement, 
production, prevention, treatment, training, and intelligence-gathering 
efforts. And because meth is such a problem in rural States like North 
Dakota, I include a mechanism to ensure that smaller localities get 
their fair share of funding.
  Meth is a continuing problem and challenge in our nation and in North 
Dakota, and I have been a strong supporter of providing the resources 
for local law enforcement to combat this drug. In 1998, for example, I 
was able to include North Dakota in the Midwest High Intensity Drug 
Trafficking Area, which has provided additional Federal funding to 
ensure that Federal, State, and local law enforcement works better as a 
team. The last piece of the puzzle is to ensure that local police are 
able to work as closely as possible with the community. It is simply 
imperative that if we are going to eradicate our Nation's spreading 
meth epidemic, and the countless associated shattered lives and futures 
lost, we all need to work together.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I ask unanimous 
consent that the text of this bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 2030

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be referred to as the ``COPS Anti-
     Methamphetamine Act of 2002''.

     SEC. 2. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.

       The Attorney General shall make grants on a competitive 
     basis to State and local community policing programs aimed at 
     anti-methamphetamine enforcement, production, prevention, 
     treatment, training, and intelligence gathering efforts.

     SEC. 3. USE OF FUNDS.

       (a) In General.--Grants made under section 2 may be used to 
     support personnel salary, equipment, and technology upgrades, 
     officer overtime, and training.
       (b) Assistance from COPS Office.--The Community Oriented 
     Policing Services (COPS) Office in the Department of Justice 
     shall work directly with participating State and local 
     community policing programs to assist in crafting innovative 
     anti-methamphetamine strategies.

     SEC. 4. APPLICATION.

       Each eligible entity that desires a grant under this Act 
     shall submit an application to the Attorney General at such 
     time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as 
     the Attorney General may reasonably require.

     SEC. 5. SUPPLEMENT AND NOT SUPPLANT.

       Grant amounts received under this Act shall be used to 
     supplement, and not supplant, other funds received by State 
     and local community policing programs to assist in the 
     methamphetamine problem.

     SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
     $75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2003 through 2007.
       (b) Limitation.--Not less than 50 percent of the amount 
     appropriated in each fiscal year under subsection (a) shall 
     be awarded to local community policing programs that serve a 
     population of not more than 150,000.
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