[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 46 (Tuesday, April 25, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S3508]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BINGAMAN (for himself, Mr. Smith, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Johnson, 
        Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Feingold, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Salazar, Ms. 
        Cantwell, and Mr. Inouye):
  S. 2643. A bill to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 
Act of 1968 to clarify that Indian tribes are eligible to receive 
grants for confronting the use of methamphetamine; to the Committee on 
the Judiciary.

  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Native 
American Meth Enforcement and Treatment Act of 2006.
  Unfortunately, when Congress passed the Combat Methamphetamine 
Epidemic Act, tribes were unintentionally left out as eligible 
applicants in some of the newly-authorized grant programs. The bill I 
am introducing today, along with Senators Smith, Baucus, Cantwell, 
Inouye, Johnson, Feinstein, Feingold, Murray, and Salazar, would simply 
ensure that tribes are able to apply for these funds and give Native 
American communities the resources they need to fight scourge of 
methamphetamine use.
  The recently-enacted Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 
authorized new funding for three grant programs. The Act authorized $99 
million in new funding for the COPS Hot Spots program, which helps 
local law enforcement agencies obtain the tools they need reduce the 
production, distribution, and use of meth. Funding may also be used to 
clean up meth labs, support health and environmental agencies, and to 
purchase equipment and support systems.
  The Act also authorized $20 million for a Drug-Endangered Children 
grant program to provide comprehensive services to assist children who 
live in a home in which meth has been used, manufactured, or sold. 
Under this program, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, child 
protective services, social services, and health care services, work 
together to ensure that these children get the help they need.
  In addition, the Combat Meth Act authorized grants to be made to 
address the use of meth among pregnant and parenting women offenders. 
The Pregnant and Parenting Offenders program is aimed at facilitating 
collaboration between the criminal justice, child welfare, and State 
substance abuse systems in order to reduce the use of drugs by pregnant 
women and those with dependent children.
  Although tribes are eligible applicants under the Pregnant and 
Parenting Offenders program, they were not included as eligible 
applicants under either the Hot Spots program or the Drug-Endangered 
Children program. I see no reason why tribes should not be able to 
access all of these funds.
  Meth use has had a devastating impact in communities throughout the 
country, and Indian Country is no exception. Last month there was an 
article in the Gallup Independent newspaper about a Navajo grandmother, 
her daughter, and granddaughter, who were all arrested for selling 
meth. There was also a one-year-old child in the home when police 
executed the arrest warrant. It is absolutely disheartening to hear 
about cases such as this, with three generations of a family destroyed 
by meth.
  I strongly believe that we need to do everything we can to assist 
communities as they struggle to deal with the consequences of meth, and 
ensuring that Native American communities are able to access these 
funds is an important first step. I hope my colleagues will join me in 
supporting this important measure.
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