WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley said a new government report lays out a clear path for the Office of National Drug Control Policy to follow in order to fairly and effectively administer a federal grant program that’s designed to bolster community-based drug-fighting coalitions.
Grassley was one of the members of Congress who requested this independent audit by the Government Accountability Office. He made his request in response to concerns raised in 2005 about community-based coalitions being denied continuation grants after an arbitrary review process. Grassley cosponsored the 1997 Drug Free Communities Act, which created this grant program, as well as the program’s reauthorizations in 2001 and 2006.
“The concerns expressed by community coalitions three years ago have been validated by this new report,” Grassley said. “Now it’s up to the Office of Drug Control Policy to implement the report’s recommendations to follow internal control standards and define its oversight responsibilities with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, which has been delegated grant management authority over the program. I have been closely monitoring the Office of Drug Control Policy’s efforts to improve its administration of this program, but more work still needs to be done. These federal grants are an important part of community-based, drug-focused programs across the country. These programs need a federal program that backs them up, not leaves them hanging. The GAO recommendations provide helpful and specific guidelines for improving administration at the federal level.”
Click here to view a the report.