Floor Statement on Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2003 (Continued)

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I would like to join in the colloquy that has just been held because it comes under the jurisdiction—or at least some of it—of the committee that I chair.

I thank my colleagues for their attention to this important children's health care policy. They are correct that something must be done to address the funds that have and will revert to the treasury in the near future. They are also correct to note the constraints within the omnibus bill. I strongly support the State Children's Health Insurance Program. It is a program that provides heath care for over 16,000 low-income children in my state.

Senators CHAFEE, SNOWE, and ROCKEFELLER are looking to address a necessary maintenance issue within S-CHIP. As Senator SNOWE noted, I worked very closely with Senator BAUCUS, Senator CHAFEE, Senator ROCKEFELLER, Chairman TAUZIN, and Representative DINGELL on a bipartisan, bicameral proposal that would have addressed expired S-CHIP funds.

The proposal reflected a balanced approach to redistributing S-CHIP funding taking into account that some states are spending through their existing allotments and other states are ramping up their programs and will need additional funding in the years to come.

This proposal did not pass the Senate last year, but it is a fair approach to redistributing S-CHIP funds. Unfortunately, I can not support including this policy at this time. The omnibus bill is a poor vehicle for this necessary maintenance.
I am sympathetic to the intent of this policy, although this is neither the time nor the place to address this issue. The Senate and the House have an agreement with the Administration to keep the omnibus appropriation bill under $750 billion. The S-CHIP policy costs over $1.2 billion in budget authority in 2003. An amendment of this nature would break that agreement and that is simply not acceptable. I appreciate Senator SNOWE's, CHAFEE's and ROCKEFELLER's willingness to accept this reality.

I assure my colleagues that I will work with them in the near future to update the S-CHIP redistribution policy in the near future as chairman of the Finance Committee. It my understanding that Senator NICKLES, the chairman of the Budget Committee, is also interested in a regular order approach and that he is interested in putting money aside in the budget to address the needs of S-CHIP.

With this in mind, I believe the most appropriate way to address this issue is to work with the Chairman of the Budget Committee, Senator NICKLES, to secure sufficient funding for this bipartisan S-CHIP proposal and then to address it in the Finance Committee. I will also continue my work with Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman TAUZIN, so the Senate and the House can move forward in a coordinated fashion.

I assure my colleagues that I will work with them once the budget resolution for fiscal year 2004 has been adopted to move legislation quickly through the Finance Committee that reflects a bipartisan, bicameral two-year agreement on S-CHIP.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I would like to have a word with the Chairman concerning funding for the war on methamphetamine production and trafficking. I appreciate your accepting my amendment to allocate $10 million for the continuance of methamphetamine reduction efforts. I understand that these funds will come from the $50 million in the bill designated for policing initiatives to combat methamphetamine production and trafficking and to enhance policing initiatives in drug hot spots. It is also my understanding that this $10 million will be used to combat meth production and distribution in the State of Iowa. This money will go to the Iowa Office of Drug Control Policy to fund programs that I consider essential to treating and controlling the drug problem in the State of Iowa. These programs would include a Drug-Free Workplace Coordinator to help educate employees to deter and detect use, and put procedures in place to take corrective action if there is a workplace-related substance abuse problem; various community prevention, intervention, and treatment programs; and for a Meth Safe House in Iowa to provide a safe and drug-free environment for recovering meth addicts, and help push them away from the negative influences that previously fed their addiction.