[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 21]
[House]
[Page 28270]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    THE PATRIOT ACT REAUTHORIZATION

  (Mr. LARSEN of Washington asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am here today to highlight 
the contents of H.R. 3889, the Combat Meth Epidemic Act, which has been 
included in the PATRIOT Act conference report. As a co-chair of the 
Meth Caucus, I worked with our caucus members to craft a comprehensive 
meth bill that would attack our Nation's meth problem on multiple 
fronts. While I would have preferred a straight up-or-down vote on a 
stand-alone meth bill, these meth provisions do benefit our 
communities.
  Meth has been attacking this country, starting on the west coast and 
moving steadily eastward. It devastates communities, affecting not just 
meth users, but families, neighborhoods, public health, the 
environment, and crime rates.
  This conference report takes necessary steps to limit access to a key 
meth precursor, pseudoephedrine. Significantly, it will allow for an 
additional prison sentence for individuals convicted of cooking or 
selling meth where children reside. Children are too often the silent 
victims of this drug. So this will help protect them by authorizing 
grants to assist children who have been found in meth labs.
  For the first time, Congress is passing comprehensive anti-meth 
legislation that gives our local law enforcement and communities the 
tools, resources, and standards to protect themselves against the 
scourge of meth.

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