November 17, 1971
Page 41660
By Mr. RIBICOFF, from the Committee on Government Operations, with amendments: S. 2097. A bill to establish a Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention to concentrate the resources of the Nation in a crusade against drug abuse (Rept. No. 92-486).
Mr. RIBICOFF. Mr. President, today I am filing the committee report on S. 2097, as amended, the Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1971 which the Committee on Government Operations approved this morning.
First, Mr. President, I would like to pay tribute to our committee chairman, Senator McCLELLAN, for the leadership he provided in the preparation of this bill. His great knowledge and experience in the field of drug abuse legislation made a major contribution to this legislation.
Further, I would like to pay special tribute to Senator MUSKIE, chairman of the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations, for his work in developing the bill which the committee reports today. Senator MUSKIE’s concern about the problem of drug abuse precedes our consideration of this legislation. Prior to President Nixon's comprehensive drug message and the introduction of the original version of S. 2097 by Senator CHARLES H. PERCY and 15 bipartisan cosponsors, Senator MUSKIE had already introduced a similar bill, S. 1945.
Because Senator MUSKIE had already introduced his bill, both his legislation and the President's proposal were assigned jointly to the Subcommittee on Executive Reorganization and Government Research, which I chair, and to Senator MUSKIE's Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations.
During committee consideration, Senator MUSKIE's knowledgeable and persistent attention to several areas made a valuable contribution to the final form of the bill. Senator MUSKIE insisted on providing the special action office with a scope sufficient to enable it to address all parts of the drug abuse program. He also strongly supported the addition of a provision for the development of a national strategy on drug abuse, covering both law enforcement and treatment programs.
Our two subcommittees held 6 days of hearings. Testimony was heard from colleagues in both Houses of Congress, administration spokesmen, State and local officials, doctors and researchers, and past victims of drug abase. The hearings enabled us to develop a clear picture of the great expansion of drug abuse in the Nation. We learned that both the number of drugs being abused and the new populations directly affected by the problem has risen greatly.
Our hearings also focused on the drug problems of youth and military personnel, particularly in Vietnam. As a result, these hearings documented the need for improved direction and coordination of the drug abuse treatment programs.
But the hearings revealed that the drug abuse problem was broader than the legislation before us. The propossd scope of the office was too narrow. In addition, some of the powers sought for the office were excessive.
As the hearings concluded, a strong bipartisan effort developed to improve the bill, involving myself and Senators MUSKIE, HUGHES, JAVITS, PERCY, and GURNEY. A new bill bearing the same number and establishing a White House Special Action Office of Drug Abuse Prevention was carefully drafted defining appropriate powers and embracing the proper scope for dealing with the problem. An important addition was made in the form of a provision calling for the development of a national strategy against drug abuse, embracing the education and treatment aspects, along with the law enforcement, border control and international aspects. Thus for the first time, we will have a unified national plan to combat drug abuse.
The bill reported by the Committee on Government Operations is a major step forward in the effort against drug abuse. Comprehensive in scope and mindful of the location of the Special Action Office in the Executive Office of the President, the legislation gives the Director important powers which will enable him to coordinate, make more rational, and give better direction to the Federal programs designed to combat drug abuse.
I ask unanimous consent to include in the RECORD, after this statement, a brief comparison of the reported bill with the original administration proposal.
Under previous order of the Senate the bill is referred to the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare for a period of 30 days.
There being no objection, the comparison was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
COMPARISON BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED S. 2097
SCOPE
Original: Education, training, treatment. rehabilitation, research – "treatment side" only.
Amended: Education, training, treatment, rehabilitation, research – plus limited powers over law enforcement, international control.
Original: No provision.
Amended: Calls for a National Strategy integrating law enforcement and treatment.
POWERS
Original: President extends life of Act.
Amended: No provision.
Original: Replace personnel.
Amended: No provision.
Original: Transfer monies from program to program.
Amended: No provision.
Original: Direct operation of programs.
Amended: No provision.
Original: Provide overall planning and policies and establish objectives and priorities on treatment side.
Amended: Same.
Original: Prepare and make available appropriations for treatment side.
Amended: Review and modify budget requests and make appropriations available for treatment side.
Original: Transfer programs without Congressional approval.
Amended: Transfer programs only with Congressional approval.
Original: No provision:
Amended: Recommend and consult on law enforcement and international controls.
Original: No provision.
Amended: Consult on classification of drugs and IND and NDA drug status.
SPECIAL PROVISIONS
Original: No provision.
Amended: Special fund to provide additional support for successful programs and encourage innovation and demonstrations.
Original: No provision.
Amended: Technical assistance to State and local governments to assist them in assessing their drug problem and meeting these problems.
Original: No provision.
Amended: Policy defined for Civil Service and Veterans' Administration respecting drug abuse.
TO BE ADDED BY HUGHES' SUBCOMMITTEE
Original: No provision.
Amended: Drug abuse institute in NIMH
Original: No provision.
Amended: Grant program for treatment and rehabilitation programs in States and localities.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, the compromise drug bill reported to the Senate by the Committee on Government Operations represents a significant breakthrough in our national effort to combat drug abuse.
This legislation is a bipartisan effort involving the administration and Senators of both parties.
Mr. President, I must especially commend the outstanding work of the senior Senator from Connecticut (Mr. RIBICOFF) whose Subcommittee on Executive Reorganization and Government Research considered this bill jointly with my own Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations. Senator RIBICOFF'S efforts were a key factor in the development of this compromise bill.
I would also like to commend the efforts of Senator PERCY, the sponsor of the administration bill, Senator JAVITS, and Senator GURNEY for their effective work toward reaching this compromise. And, in particular, I would like to cite Senator HUGHES, who has long provided leadership in the Senate in this important area, for his efforts in helping to draft this important legislation.
I believe this bill is significant in several respects.
First, it calls for the development of a comprehensive, coordinated long-term Federal strategy to combat drug abuse, providing, for the first time, a mechanism to develop a unified Federal policy against drug abuse, focusing all of our resources, including law enforcement, treatment, education, and research.
Second, the bill creates a Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention in the Executive Office of the President to pull together heretofore scattered Federal antidrug programs. The Special Action Office will be broad in scope, responsible for determining the Federal policy toward treatment, education, and research programs, for recommending and consulting on law enforcement policy and for coordinating all Federal drug programs.
Third, it requires that the Veterans' Administration provide treatment and rehabilitation services for any former servicemen suffering from drug addiction, no matter the status of their discharge and it requires the Civil Service Commission to develop treatment and rehabilitation programs for drug addicts employed by the Federal Government.
All of these provisions were part of legislation introduced earlier this year by Senator HUGHES and myself with Senators JAVITS and WILLIAMS.
Other significant provisions in that earlier bill will now be considered in the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare. Those provisions include the establishment of a National Institute on Drug Abuse within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and the authorization of funds for a major national commitment to treat drug addicts.
Those items are the proper concern of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare. It is my anticipation that they will be added in that committee so the bill the Senate finally considers will be comprehensive legislation that will make a significant impact on the serious drug problem.
Mr. President, this proves once again that outstanding legislation in the public interest is the result of a genuinely bipartisan effort. It is most significant that Senators on both sides of the political aisle have put partisan considerations aside in drafting this legislation to deal with one of the most serious problems facing our Nation today.