Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act of 2007

METHAMPHETAMINE REMEDIATION RESEARCH ACT OF 2007

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Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I also rise in support of H.R. 365, the Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act of 2007, that was introduced by our colleague Mr. Gordon, who is obviously the chairman of the Science and Technology Committee, along with ranking member Mr. Hall, Mr. Calvert, and also Mr. Wu.

I want to especially thank Congressman Calvert for his steadfast leadership on this issue for such a long time. He has really been the voice on this issue in Congress for a long time, and has worked with everybody on both sides of the aisle on this legislation.

As Mr. Gordon said, he stated just a while ago, this legislation is very similar to the legislation that passed the Science Committee and the House in the 109th Congress. Mr. Speaker, it passed by a voice vote then. This one also, though, addressed changes made by the Senate in that bill that passed the Congress before.

Over the past decade this issue, the spread of methamphetamine, has been plaguing really everyplace around the country. It has been killing individuals, destroying families, devastating communities in every conceivable part of our country in areas that you would not think that this could happen, in residential areas. It is a huge, huge problem.

We also have to deal with the harmful residue that this horrible substance leaves behind in homes. Those substances cause harm to human beings and to their health for years to come. This legislation focuses on the cleanup of the former meth labs.

H.R. 365 addresses the significant contamination associated with these labs and would provide voluntary guidelines to clean up the former labs. And, again, as I said a little while ago, these meth labs are present all over the United States in residential areas, in places that one would never think this could happen.

Currently, Mr. Speaker, there are no national guidelines or regulations on how to clean up and remediate a residential meth lab for reoccupation of people. States and localities are struggling to protect the public and also the law enforcement officers and the first responders, and they are trying to find a solution that is practical also for the property owners.

Many of the ingredients used in the manufacture of this product are highly dangerous and toxic, and are believed to damage the skin, the eyes and the lungs of even people who move into a house where there used to be a lab. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to hopefully the passage of this legislation and the Senate sending it to the desk of the President for his signature.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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