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Kildee Introduce Bill to Make $$$ Available
to Fight Meth on Native Land
WASHINGTON - U.S. Representatives Tom Udall, D-N.M., and Dale
Kildee D-MI, have introduced legislation to make available federal
grants to help combat methamphetamine in Indian Country.
The Native American Methamphetamine Enforcement and Treatment
Act of 2007 would make available three important grant programs
to combat methamphetamine associated problems to Native American
governments. The grants are COPS Hot Spots program, the Drug-Endangered
Children program and the Pregnant and Parenting Women Offenders
program.
Last year Congress passed the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic
Act of 2005 as part of the reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT
Act, but tribal governments were unintentionally left out as
possible applicants for the Hot Spots and Drug-Endangered Children
program grants. Additionally, while tribes were included as eligible
applicants for the Pregnant and Parenting Women Offenders Grant
Program, clarifying language is needed to ensure there is ample
coordination with tribal service providers.
"Our criminal justice, child welfare, and substance abuse
systems in Native American country face substantial obstacles
in their tremendous fight against meth. This legislation seeks
to rectify the situation by ensuring that, consistent with tribal
sovereignty, tribes can apply for these grants to combat the
increasingly pervasive problem of methamphetamine just as states
can," Udall, a Co-Vice Chair of the House Native American
Caucus added.
"Methamphetamine use has reached epidemic proportions
in Indian country and has led to an increase in domestic violence
and juvenile crime on reservations in recent years. This bill
will ensure that Indian tribes are eligible to apply for federal
funds to combat meth use in their communities. We must do all
we can to curb the use of this drug," said Kildee, who is
Co-Chairman of the House Native American Caucus.
The Hot Spots program specifically provides funding for a
broad range of initiatives designed to assist state and local
law enforcement in undertaking anti-methamphetamine initiatives.
The Drug-Endangered Children Grant Program provides comprehensive
services to assist children who live in a home where meth has
been used, manufactured and sold.
The Pregnant and Parenting Women Offenders Grant Program is
designed to facilitate cooperation between the criminal justice,
child welfare, and substance abuse systems in order to reduce
the use of drugs by pregnant women and those with dependant children.
In 2005, the Drug Enforcement Administration and state and
local law enforcement officials counted 12,484 Clandestine Laboratory
Incidents in 48 states.
In New Mexico alone, the state Department of Public Safety
Narcotics Section handled over 400 cases involving meth in 2004.
While this is disturbing enough, the situation can be worse
in Native American communities. In studies of "past year
methamphetamine use," Native communities have the highest
use rates - more than double the use rate of other ethnicities.
Additionally, when the Bureau of Indian Affairs surveyed tribes
about law enforcement, more than 70 percent said that meth is
the drug that poses the greatest threat to their reservation.
Last week, U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., and Gordon
Smith, R-OR, introduced a companion measure in the Senate.
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