U.S. Senate Clears Gordon’s Methamphetamine Bill
(Washington, DC) Legislation designed to stem the scourge of methamphetamine (meth) in local communities was given final approval by the U.S. Senate last night.
“We have a duty to protect innocent families not only from the criminals who make and use this illegal drug, but also from the after effects of that crime,“ said the bill’s author, House Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN). “I have pushed this effort for a long time and it is gratifying that it will soon become law.”
H.R. 365, the Methamphetamine Remediation Act of 2007 - approved under unanimous consent by the Senate - requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop model, voluntary, health-based clean-up guidelines for use by states and localities with the goal of making sure the sites of former meth labs are safe and livable.
The Drug Enforcement Administration reported seizing roughly 12,500 methamphetamine labs in 2005 alone. The chemicals used in making this extremely addictive drug are highly toxic and can infuse the walls, carpet and furniture of any house, apartment, hotel room or dwelling in which the drug was made. This pollution can impact the health of unsuspecting families who later inhabit the dwelling by exposing them to dangerous residual toxins with potentially devastating long-term affects.
According to a 2006 National Drug Threat Survey of state and local law enforcement agencies across the nation, meth was named most often as the greatest drug threat in communities.
“Meth production and use is rampant in my home state of Tennessee and in other states across the country. I’m glad my colleagues in the House and Senate have joined with me in working to assist local communities in clearing it out and cleaning it up,” Gordon said.
The legislation also authorizes the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to initiate a research program to develop meth detection equipment for field use. Such equipment will help local law enforcement and first-responders detect active meth labs faster and assist in measuring contamination levels. The legislation also requires a study by the National Academy of Sciences on the long-term health impacts on children rescued from meth labs and on first-responders.
The bill has been endorsed by numerous national organizations including The National Sheriff’s Association, The National Association of Counties and The National Association of Realtors.
The bill was reported by the House Committee on Science and Technology on January 24, 2007. It passed the U.S. House on February 7, 2007. Chairman Gordon first introduced the bill in the 109th Congress (H.R. 798). Then, it passed both the House and Senate, but failed to complete the process before time expired in the 109th session.
This consensus bill reintroduced in the 110th session contains two changes from the original – (1) it moves responsibility for oversight of the program from the Assistant Secretary of the Office of R&D at EPA to the EPA Administrator, and (2) the funding and authorization levels have been slightly reduced.
The legislation now heads to the President’s desk for signature.
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