July 2004 Email Update

July 2004 Email Update

Washington, D.C. - Welcome to the July 2004 E-mail Update. This update discusses my efforts in Congress to fight meth, help small businesses, fix the Patriot Act, and ensure that Congress does its part to support mental health care coverage through Medicaid.

***Keeping Meth Out of Our Neighborhoods***

As co-chair of the Congressional Caucus to Control and Fight Methamphetamine, I helped kick off the national launch of the Meth Watch program last month. This anti-meth initiative enables retailers and law enforcement to work together to deter the theft or suspicious sale of certain household products like cough and cold medicines commonly used to manufacture methamphetamine. The program provides training and information for employees and managers to help ensure these products are not diverted to illegal meth production.

Virtually every meth ingredient passes through a pharmacy, hardware or grocery store. By giving employers and employees the tools and training to prevent meth cooks from purchasing or stealing precursor ingredients, Meth Watch helps raise public awareness and block meth production. Right now 26 counties in Washington state are using the
Meth Watch program to help make neighborhoods and families safer.

I'm working in Congress with the Meth Caucus to strengthen local, state and federal efforts to eliminate meth. Last year we secured $500 million in federal grants that our local drug task forces utilize. We increased High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area funding by $20 million for a total of $226 million for the year. We fought to retain $756 million in law enforcement grants. Also, the Meth Caucus has bolstered National Guard Counterdrug funding and other important federal dollars to combat meth.

***Introducing Legislation to Help Local Small Businesses***

One of my top priorities is helping local communities with their economic development efforts. In June I introduced legislation to help small businesses in economically depressed areas. The HUBZone Extension Act of 2004 would improve the federal Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program which requires that three percent of federal contracts go to businesses within HUBZones. The federal HUBZone program serves as an excellent tool for
economically struggling areas to bolster local small businesses and attract new businesses and jobs.

Skagit County earned HUBZone status in 1999 because its unemployment rate was significantly higher than Washington state's. After September 11, 2001, Washington state's unemployment rate skyrocketed, forcing Skagit County to lose its HUBZone status, not because its own employment rate improved, but because the state's took a turn for the worse and started to catch up with the county's high unemployment rate. My bill fixes the law so that we no longer punish HUBZone businesses for being in a state that's becoming more economically depressed. That's when our communities need the HUBZone advantage the most.

I will continue to seek out other ways to support businesses and workers all across the 2nd Congressional District.

***Fixing Fundamental Flaws in the Patriot Act***

Preventing terrorism while protecting the privacy of law-abiding citizens is one of the biggest challenges facing Congress today. The Patriot Act epitomizes this struggle. Congress passed the Patriot Act in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Prior to September 11, U.S. terrorism-prevention tools had not kept pace with technology and other emerging terrorist methods. In retrospect, Congress acted far too quickly in passing the bill. Never again should Congress act so hastily with the privacy of law-abiding citizens at stake.

That is why I am working to sunset or eliminate several damaging Patriot Act provisions. The bill includes a handful of provisions that bolster law enforcement at our Northern Border and strengthen our ability to keep the bad traffic out of our country. However, these sections do not outweigh the bad in this bill. To that end I am a cosponsor of two bills to rollback intrusive powers provided in the Patriot Act.

The Security and Freedom Ensured (SAFE) Act of 2003 (H.R. 3352), cosponsored by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, would amend the provisions that allow federal agencies to conduct surveillance on Americans with limited judicial involvement by curtailing the use of roving wiretaps and "sneak and peek" search warrants that allow federal agents to search Americans' homes without notifying them for an indeterminate period. The bill also limits Section 215 that allows federal agencies to access without probable cause Americans' medical, business, library, genetic and other personal and sensitive records.

The Freedom to Read Protection Act (H.R. 1157) would exempt libraries and bookstores from intrusive surveillance currently allowed under Section 215 of the Patriot Act. It would also increase congressional oversight of federal agencies monitoring library and bookstore patrons.

Last week I voted to prohibit the government from using the federal secret court to gain access to records in libraries and bookstores. While we lost this vote in a 210 - 210 tie, I will continue my efforts to improve the Patriot Act. We can protect this nation from another terrorist attack without undermining citizens' civil liberties.

***Working to Improve Access to Health Care Coverage***

When discussing health care, Congress often talks about medical or surgical health care, but we often overlook mental health care. For those who are impacted by this funding, you will be glad to know that I am a co-sponsor of the Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003 (H.R. 953). This comprehensive legislation requires health insurance companies to establish parity between mental health coverage and medical or surgical coverage.

As a society we still struggle to acknowledge that mental illness is a real sickness which requires medical care. Mental illness is not a character flaw, but a tangible, treatable health problem as real as hypertension, cancer or heart disease.
Today, the advances of our medical system have given us scientific breakthroughs that make appropriate mental health
care as effective as insulin for a diabetic.

Millions of hardworking men and women still find that their health plans place strict limits on both inpatient and outpatient coverage for mental illness. This type of discrimination is wrong and must end. Most people who suffer from mental illness can live normal lives if they receive treatment, but many cannot receive treatment if their insurance will not pay for it.

Adjustments on a state and federal level will deal a blow to Washington state and counties' abilities to provide Mental Health services for non-Medicaid patients. Congress absolutely must ensure that there are enough Medicaid dollars available so that cash-strapped states can afford to provide care of non-Medicaid patients.