Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015
Floor Speech
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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment which seeks to bolster an important program in the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriation Act. This an amendment is fully paid for by cutting wasteful spending, and specifically takes $8 million from the office space for the Department of Justice bureaucrats in order to bolster the prescription drug monitoring activities. This program is the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.
The gentleman, Mr. Rogers, is the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and he has spent years on the issue of combating prescription drug abuse in our great country. The problem is truly plaguing our streets, our youth, and our communities. Prescription drug abuse is contributing to addiction, health deterioration, and even untimely death amongst many of our friends and loved ones.
Prescription drug abuse also fuels demand for other illicit drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamines, ectasy, and heroine, much of which flows over our southwest border and into my home State of Arizona, along with human trafficking, gunrunning, and murder. I have seen drug abuse all over my State, and I know I am not the only Member who has been affected by the rampant drug abuse in my community.
As a dentist of 25 years, I am well aware of how easy it is and can be for doctors and patients to abuse the prescription drug system. With a background in chemistry and biology, I know how easy it can be for people, both young and old, to become addicted to these substances.
The primary purpose of the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program is to enhance the capability, the capacity, of regulatory and law enforcement agencies to collect and analyze controlled substance prescription data through a centralized database administered by an authorized State agency. States that have implemented prescription drug monitoring programs can collect and analyze prescription data much more efficiently than States where the collection of the prescription information requires the manual review of pharmacy files.
It is this body's duty, through the annual appropriations process, to evaluate which programs are worthwhile and which ones are not. We must decide which programs should have their funding increased, which should be reduced, and which should have theirs zeroed out. It is not an easy job, but it is a job that each of us was elected to do.
The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program has shown promising results, but we must not give up on it. It is easy to overlook these issues, but I think our families, our friends, and our future generations deserve it. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment.
With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to stand with veterans throughout the country and offer a simple amendment that seeks to bolster funds in this act for the Veterans Treatment Court initiative.
My amendment pays for this modest increase for this critical initiative by reducing funds for salaries and expenses from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives by $6 million. The Bureau's salaries and expenses were increased by $21 million from fiscal year 2014 levels, with a proposed appropriation of $1.2 billion overall on this bill for the agency.
My amendment redirects funds from the bureaucrats in the mismanaged Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agency of to a worthy treatment program for our Nation's veterans.
Veterans Court promotes sobriety and recovery through coordinated local partnerships among community corrections agencies, drug treatment providers, the judiciary, and other important community support groups. Veterans Treatment Courts have been extremely successful since they were first created in 2008 by a Buffalo judge to combat the growing number of veterans appearing before the court who were addicted to drugs and alcohol, as well as suffering from mental illness.
Many of our Nation's heroes returning from combat are traumatized due to the associated violence and pressure of war and often cope with such feelings with substance abuse. They need focused treatment and a helping hand, and these courts provide such an avenue.
The alternative to funding the Veterans Treatment Court initiative is jail. I think we would all agree that providing treatment for our veterans through a community partnership at the local level is a far better option.
I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the passage of my commonsense amendment and this worthwhile program.
With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment which seeks to bolster a critical law enforcement program within the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. That program is the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, also known as Byrne-JAG.
My amendment is fully paid for by cutting unnecessary spending elsewhere in the bill. Specifically, the Office of Justice Programs, Research, Evaluation, and Statistics budget was increased by $4.25 million from the FY14 levels. This amendment takes that increase and redirects those funds to the Byrne-JAG Grant Program to bolster law enforcement nationwide.
As we all know, one of the Federal Government's core responsibilities is to secure the peace.
The government establishes a National Guard and a standing military for security purposes, but it can also assist local law enforcement with funding, critical information, and joint efforts between local, State, and Federal officials, or any of these combined.
My home State of Arizona, in particular, has some serious issues and needs when it comes to law enforcement. Being that Arizona shares an international border with Mexico, we have seen increased amounts of illegal trafficking operations--from noncitizens to illicit drugs to illegal firearms.
I believe the Federal Government, in conjunction with State and local law enforcement, has a duty to uphold the rule of law and to combat these activities in the best ways possible.
My State of Arizona uses multijurisdictional task forces, or MJTFs.
It also funds probation-based drug monitoring programs and other probation-related services, including drug courts, pro bono defense services, and other metrics-based programs aimed at curbing drug abuse.
In the 2010 fiscal year, Byrne-JAG contributed to 58 worthwhile Arizona programs. This local investment assisted Arizona's 16 multijurisdictional drug task forces with arresting over 6,000 drug offenders. These same drug task forces seized over 847,000 grams of cocaine, nearly 50,000 grams of heroin, more than 200,000 grams of methamphetamine, over 300,000 pounds of marijuana, and more than 40,000 marijuana plants.
Finally, and perhaps most satisfying, the combined efforts of these drug task forces and tandem prosecution resulted in over $23 million in forfeited assets.
These Byrne-JAG programs nationwide have proven themselves worthy of sustained Federal resources.
As a member of the Congressional Law Enforcement Caucus, I will strive to keep American homes and communities safe by providing important resources to worthwhile law enforcement programs that protect local communities.
I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of my commonsense amendment.
With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
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