Proposed sense of the Senate amendment to S. Con. Res. 101, sponsored by Senators Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Spencer Abraham (R-Michigan), Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), and Paul Coverdell (R-Georgia), April 6, 2000

Proposed sense of the Senate amendment to S. Con. Res. 101, sponsored by Senators Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Spencer Abraham (R-Michigan), Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), and Paul Coverdell (R-Georgia), April 6, 2000
GRASSLEY (AND OTHERS) AMENDMENT NO. 3021 (Senate - April 06, 2000)

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(Ordered to lie on the table.)

Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Abraham, Mr. DeWine, and Mr. Coverdell) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by them to the concurrent resolution, S. Con. Res. 101, supra; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert:

SEC. . SENSE OF THE SENATE ON COUNTER-NARCOTICS FUNDING.

(a) Findings.--The Senate finds that--

(1) The drug crisis facing the United States is a top national security threat.

(2) The spread of illicit drugs through United States borders cannot be halted without an effective drug interdiction strategy.

(3) Effective drug interdiction efforts have been shown to limit the availability of illicit narcotics, drive up the street price, support demand reduction efforts, and decrease overall drug trafficking and use.

(4) The armed conflict and resulting lawlessness in Colombia present a clear and present danger to the security of the front line states, to law enforcement efforts intended to impede the flow of cocaine and heroin, and, therefore, to the well-being of the people of the United States.

(5) The conflict in Colombia is creating instability along its borders with neighboring countries, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela, several of which have deployed forces to their border with Colombia.

(6) Coca production has increased 28 percent in Colombia since 1998, and already 75 percent of the world's cocaine and 75 percent of the heroin seized in the northeast United States is of Colombian origin.

(7) The percentage change in drug use since 1992, among graduating high school students who used drugs in the past 12 months, has substantially increased--marijuana use is up 80 percent, cocaine use is up 80 percent, and heroin use is up 100 percent.

(8) The U.S. Customs Service and the U.S. coast Guard are critical front line agencies in stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.

(9) The Department of Defense is a lead agency for the detection and monitoring of aerial and maritime transit of illegal drug into the United States.

(10) The Department of State, through INL, is a lead agency in protecting the United States from the foreign drug and crime threat.

(b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate, the functional totals included in this resolution assume the following:

(1) All counter-narcotics agencies will be given the highest priority for fully funding their counter-narcotics mission.

(2) That front line drug fighting agencies are dedicating more resources for international efforts to continue restoring a balanced drug control strategy.

(3) Congress should re-authorize the modernization of the U.S. Customs service and ensure it has adequate resources and authority not only to facilitate the movement of internationally traded goods but to ensure it can aggressively pursue its law enforcement activities to stop the flow of drugs into the United States.

(4) Congress should adequately fund U.S. Coast Guard and ensure that it has adequate resources to aggressively pursue its maritime law enforcement activities.

(5) By pursuing a balanced effort which requires investment in three key areas: demand reduction (such as education and treatment); domestic law enforcement; and international supply reduction. Congress believes we can reduce the number of children who are exposed to and addicted to illegal drugs.

(6) Congress should adequately fund the Department of Defense to ensure it has sufficient personnel, equipment, and facilities to support drug interdiction efforts and other counter-drug activities.

(7) Congress should adequately fund the Department of State to ensure that INL has the resources necessary to aggressively and effectively pursue protection of U.S. borders.

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As of April 9, 2000, this document was also available online at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r106:S06AP0-1129: