WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley today said that the legislation that he co-sponsored with Senator Dianne Feinstein, the Drug Endangered Children Act of 2007, passed the Senate by unanimous consent.
The Drug Endangered Children Act of 2007 will re-authorize a $20 million grant program for an additional two years. The national grant program assists local and state Drug Endangered Children Programs by coordinating law enforcement, medical services and child welfare efforts, to ensure that children found in environments where drugs have been manufactured or distributed receive appropriate attention and care.
"It's appalling that children are often innocent victims because of drug abuse by parents and guardians, especially in homes that operate meth labs. More than 1,000 children in Iowa have been affected in the last few years alone," Grassley said. "Drug Endangered Children Programs make sure that the children victimized by living in these horrible environments receive proper attention."
More than 12,000 children throughout the country have been affected, injured or killed at meth lab sites according to the Drug Enforcement Administration El Paso Intelligence Center's National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System.
Senators Grassley and Feinstein were co-sponsors of the Combat Methamphetamine Enforcement Act, which became law as part of the USA PATRIOT Reauthorization Act of 2005. This law has contributed to a dramatic drop in domestic methamphetamine production. Meth lab incidents have seen an 88 percent drop in Iowa since 2004. In addition, Senators Grassley and Feinstein have introduced legislation, the Saving Kids from Dangerous Drugs Act to increase the federal criminal penalties on drug dealers who entice children with candy-flavored drugs. This bill would help combat the growing trend of drug dealers manufacturing candy flavored meth and other drugs, which has been highlighted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy.