Mark Kennedy

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. I yield to the gentlewoman from Oregon.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I appreciate the chairman's accepting the amendment. I also want to recognize that the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hooley) is here in support of the amendment as well.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I have often spoken about the tragic story of a young lady named Megan from a beautiful town in my home State of Minnesota. She got started on meth when she was in the seventh grade at the age of 13 and, like too many other female addicts, she was exploited into becoming a prostitute to pay for her meth that she craved every second of the day. Megan is managing to pull her life back together now, after the 5 years that meth stole from her, with the help of her family, her friends, and through substance abuse treatment programs. Mr. Chairman, about one in five of those in treatment for methamphetamine use in the State of Minnesota are 17 years old or younger. That's a shocking statistic: one in five are younger than 17 years old. That means before they can vote, and just barely after they get their driver's licenses, 20 percent of those seeking help for substance abuse and addiction are our children. Mr. Chairman, in some parts of Minnesota 80-90 percent of prisoners are meth users. This is a statistic illuminates the crushing pressures meth is putting on our state and local governments. Mr. Chairman, many of my colleagues may not have heard of the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners (RSAT) Grant program, but they should know that it is one of the most important tools in the toolbox to help the victims of substance abuse fight and beat their addiction. But my amendment is important because it recognizes that our resources are limited. We need to make sure that individuals who are involved in substance abuse treatment want to be there. We can do that by making sure they are ``clean'' when they enter treatment. The Kennedy amendment to the RSAT program provides a requirement that treatment be available to those individuals who have passed a regularly administered drug-screening test for three months. The Amendment also provides that aftercare be provided to prisoners enrolled in the RSAT program as a component of comprehensive substance abuse treatment. Drug treatment will not work for those who are still addicted or who are still using, but it will help those who are ready to seek help and work to beat their addiction. My amendment also recognizes that when a substance abuser finishes a treatment program, he or she isn't at the end of the recovery process, he or she is actually at the end of the beginning of it. Aftercare is a critical part of substance abuse treatment, and my amendment recognizes that. These improvements are consistent with best practices for substance abuse and they respond to the important needs and nearly crippling demands on our drug treatment systems. As Members of Congress, in the face of so much suffering, we have an obligation to act.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, as my mother approaches her 75th birthday, I would like to share with my colleagues what a wonderful encouragement and inspiration she has been to me, my family and so many others. Alvina Dorothy Weber was born to Raymond and Helen Weber and graduated from high school in Benson, Minnesota. Her family had earlier lived for a time on a farm near Harold, South Dakota. Growing up on the frontier gave her a thankful heart for the many blessings we enjoy as Americans and a determination to make the most of those blessings. Her father Ray was of German Heritage and ran the local Sinclair service station in Benson. Her mother Helen was a Page whose English ancestors arrived in Hingham, Massachusetts in the mid-1600s. I remember getting together with the Weber family gathering during the Christmas holidays and Ray and Helen giving each of their children--Phyllis, Kenneth, Donald, Robert and my mother--a nativity set that has formed the centerpiece of our family's Christmas decorations for the decades that followed. My mother worked at the hospital in Benson where I was born and married my father Eugene Thomas Kennedy, a graduate of the high school in nearby Murdock. After a short period living in Hunter, North Dakota, when my oldest sister Monica was born, they returned to Murdock where my father worked at the Murdock State Bank. We lived in a home built by my grandparents, Charles and Rose Kennedy, right across the street from the Sacred Heart Church. It was in that house that my siblings Nancy, Steven, Peggy and I began our lives and in that church that my parents had us baptized. It was a grand old house with a fine porch, where we would often gather on summer days. I fondly remember peeking through the railings of the stairs and watching my parents visit with company when we were supposed to be in bed, riding my tricycle on the sidewalk and playing in our sandbox. My last memory of living in Murdock was when my mother gathered all of us children around the yellow-topped kitchen table to tell us that we were moving for the opportunity of a better job for my father. My father could have earned more money in the Cities, but my parents wanted to raise their children in the country, where neighbors really knew each other and cared about each other. While living at our new home in the country just outside of Pequot Lakes, Minnesota where my parents still reside, she brought the final of her seven children--David and Neil--into the world. My mother took her parenting responsibilities very seriously. She would regularly sit all of us children down in the living room and read us newspaper clippings so we knew how the things she and my dad taught us applied to the world around us. She still sends me clippings regularly I and calls to make sure that I am reading them. She taught us to care. We would all line up by the front door on the first day of school to take a picture with our new ``back to school'' clothes. Every year, she told each of us to be on the look out for children that were new to the school. She encouraged us to reach out to them and make them feel welcome. She taught us how to share. If there was only one brownie left and two children, she let one child cut it in half and the other get the first pick as to which half to choose. She and my father encouraged us as children to contribute to charities of our choice, particularly during the holiday season. She taught us responsibility and to hold ourselves to high standards, in part through our 4-H projects whether it be weeding the garden or caring for livestock--Hereford cattle in my case, chickens in the case of my sister. She would get very frustrated when other children misbehaved and their parents responded, ``My Johnnie wouldn't do that.'' She made it clear to us that in our case, she would consider us guilty until proven innocent if anyone called her about our behavior. If we tried to get permission to do some activity based on some other child being allowed to do so, she would reply, ``Is his last name Kennedy?'' The feeding, caring and guiding of seven children was more than a full time job. She dedicated her life to that task. My mother has many positive qualities. Among those qualities is the ability to put on a great meal. A positive side effect of my sister raising chickens was that we had chicken dinner nearly every Sunday. My mother makes the best chicken gravy and the best brownies. Our normal meal when we had company was Swedish meat balls, which always baffled me since no one in our family had a drop of Swedish blood. In any case, they were always tasty. She taught us to persevere. I started out with Little League when I was young and found that I really wasn't as good as the town boys that played a lot more growing up than I did. I was having difficulty fitting in with the group of boys that were largely strangers to me and certainly better ball players. She said that it was OK for me not to go out for baseball the next year, but that Kennedys were not quitters. She would not let me quit, a lesson that has stuck with me throughout my life. She and my father have always been strong in their faith and have taken every opportunity to engender the light of faith in their children and grandchildren. We never missed mass, often prayed together and are still regularly reminded of our overriding mission to serve God's Will, not our own. My mother is a very active volunteer at St. Alice Catholic Church and encouraged my father to help lead the effort to build a larger church building. To encourage our good behavior during services, we were rewarded by being able to buy two cents worth of candy at the penny candy case at Pfeiffer's drug store if we behaved. We could have anything we wanted as long as it totaled two cents. My parents spent time together in their early years in Rural Youth and were big fans of 4-H. To give their children the same opportunities, my mother spearheaded forming a 4-H club, which to me was critical since I met my wife Debbie in 4-H. As the prime leader of the Pelican Lakes 4-H Club, it grew to the largest and most active in the county. My mother would regularly be on the lookout for young people that needed positive influences in their lives and pulled them into the 4-H club to provide those influences. My parents valued education highly. My mother encouraged my father's participation as a school board member for 27 years at Pequot Lakes Public High School, where my father helped lead the effort to build a new school complex. We would regularly hear my mother pass on her advice to our father on issues before the school board. As an insurance agent in the local bank and homemaker, my mother and father got all seven of us children through college, our family's first generation of college grads. All seven of us earned degrees at St. John's University or the College of St. Benedict. They gave us $500 a year for four years, not five--four, and taught us how to work so we could earn the rest. Even though my parents had never been to Europe, my mother really encouraged us to participate in the international exchange programs at college, and contributed an extra $500 to defray part of the costs if we did. Debbie and I were blessed to be able to welcome my mother and father to Europe for the first time and tour them around for three weeks when I was participating in an exchange program in graduate school in the Netherlands. My mother really wanted us to understand other cultures, but remained convinced that America is the greatest nation the world has ever known. Seeing how much government impacted our lives, my mother served as the treasurer for a friend from church who ran for the Minnesota House of Representatives and won. She worked endlessly for his campaign and regularly marshaled the family for lit drops. As her children left the nest, she spent an increasing amount of time volunteering for the Republican Party and its candidates. We attended our first party conventions for the 1978 election, a watershed year for Minnesota Republicans. She was selected as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in New York City in 2004. I will always cherish the time I was able to spend with my mother and father during that convention. There is so much more that I could share about how big of an impact my mother has had on my life and countless others. She has worked selflessly throughout her life for others, volunteering for church, 4- H, Party or community activities, driving others to the hospital or clinic, never asking anything in return. She is devoted to her seven children and twenty-seven grandchildren and regularly visits their school events. I suppose every child has a special moment with their parent that they will always remember. Mine is talking with my mother when I was having trouble fitting in at school during my youth. She sat down beside me and shared the story of her own life and how at a young age she came to the conclusion that she was no better than anyone else, but that no one else was better than her. That understanding of the inherent equality of worth of all individuals served to help her confidence and mine. Although I fervently believe in the equality of all people, any honest appraisal would have to agree that the impact my mother has had on this earth during her first 75 years has truly been exceptional. May her positive influence extend for decades to come.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor five Minnesota Boy Scouts and their two adult leaders as they receive the Medal of Merit and the National Certificate of Merit from the Boy Scouts of America. On September 18, 2005, Michael Daw, Eric Erfanian, David Fink, Derek Rossberg, Jim Spohn, John Spohn, and Tim Spohn will receive these awards for their heroic efforts to help save the life of another adult leader, Laurie Jedamus. An additional adult leader, Emilie Entrikin, will receive the National Certificate of Merit. On August 18, 2004, the five Boy Scouts and four adult leaders began a week-long trek into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) in northern Minnesota. On the third night of the trip, Laurie Jedamus developed epiglottitis, a very dangerous throat infection that progressed to the point that, by the next morning, Jedamus had difficulty breathing. The Scouts and their leaders decided that medical attention was necessary and began the difficult expedition back out of the BWCA. The weather started to deteriorate, with 40 mph winds, two-foot waves and trees blowing down, but the Scouts and their leaders made the 11-mile trip, crossing 14 lakes and 13 long, steep portages (where they had to carry their 50 pound bags and 70 pound canoes) in six hours; usually a two- day trip. Jedamus stayed in the hospital for two days and made a complete recovery. Mr. Speaker, these Scouts and their leaders exemplify the outstanding act of service and exceptional character that embody the Medal of Merit. Their courage and perseverance under trying conditions helped save the life of one of their leaders. On behalf of the Sixth District of Minnesota, I would like to extend my congratulations on receiving this most deserving award. It is community members like these Scouts and their leaders who help make Minnesota great.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from Oregon for yielding me this time, and for her leadership on this very important issue. This is a very important step to deal with what is said to be up to 80 percent of the source of methamphetamines in our country. If you look at law enforcement, they are doing a wonderful job fighting the crime in their local communities. But this is something where they cannot reach beyond the borders. It is only us in the Federal Government that can do that. We need to have the State Department fully supportive, having the resources they need to go after the methamphetamines coming in from other countries. This amendment will do that. It is an important step forward. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I thank again the gentlewoman for her leadership on this.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time by thanking the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hooley), the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder) for helping to advance this very important cause. I thank also the chairman and the ranking member for their support, and I encourage my colleagues to support this amendment to end the scourge that is providing a poison across our communities and drawing in our children and putting them towards a life that will lead them down a road they should not go. Let us get them back on the path towards prosperity and hope for the future. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder). (Mr. SOUDER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, if we understand the meth problem, we understand that it has brought a trail of destruction and misery across the country, from San Diego to the Shenandoah Valley. My colleagues have heard me talk on this floor before about the tragic story of a young girl named Megan from a beautiful town in Minnesota. She was 13 in the seventh grade when she got started in meth. One of her friends offered her the drug and in her words she said she liked it so much she knew she would do it over and over again. But when she could not afford her addiction, she, like too many others, turned to prostitution to pay for the meth she craved so much. After hitting rock bottom at age 18, she is now managing to pull her life back together after the 5 years that meth stole from her. Mr. Chairman, I rise today because we want to make sure there are no more Megans in our communities that have gone through this by cutting off the international flow of meth precursors like pseudoephedrine. In Minnesota and so many other States dealing with the meth problems, law enforcement spends roughly 80 percent of their time with small meth labs that produce 20 percent or so of meth on our streets. However, they lack the tools and resources to go after the source of the other 80 percent of meth, international superlabs. Today we can give law enforcement a big helping hand by adopting this amendment to fully engage the State Department and our diplomats in this fight. Under our amendment, the State Department will have to report and certify that the five largest exporters and the five largest importers of pseudoephedrine are fully cooperating with U.S. law enforcement to prevent its misuse and diversion. If the State Department cannot certify their fully cooperation with U.S. law enforcement, then these countries would face consequences for their eligibility for U.S. bilateral and multilateral assistance under this act. This amendment would put meth on the same footing as heroin and cocaine, which are regulated in a similar way. Such treatment is precisely what the State Department and the United Nations Drug and Crime Control Bureau agreed in Vienna. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is trying for a true multinational approach towards fighting the spread of harmful drugs like methamphetamine. Our amendment will demonstrate to our friends and allies that we are serious about cutting off the flow of internationally produced meth. It will also show law enforcement officers that we stand with them in the fight against drugs and will work to give them every tool they need to be successful. I urge my colleagues support the Kennedy-Hooley-Osborne-Souder amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Title II of H.R. 458, the Military Personnel Financial Services Protection Act. This bill helps protect our troops and other military personnel from predatory lending. We must make sure that our fighting men and women have access to credit while ensuring that reasonable protections are put in place to combat abusive lending practices. 0ver the last few years, there has been an alarming increase in predatory financial scams located outside or near many of our nation's military bases. These unscrupulous businesses target members of our military and their families through the sale of sub-standard insurance and investment products. Many even resort to misleading representations that attempt to convince customers that the military endorses these businesses, which is simply not true. Mr. Speaker, Congress must take action to prevent such unfair lending practices, without punishing legitimate business in similar industries. H.R. 458 accomplishes this goal by identifying predatory businesses that abuse consumers and safeguarding the financial futures of our soldiers and their families who rely on their legitimate counterparts. I applaud my friend from Kentucky, Mr. Davis, for sponsoring this legislation and urge my colleagues, on both sides of the Capitol, to support it.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to stand with the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Garrett) because I am deeply concerned about the potential effects of the recent Supreme Court decision in Kelo v. The City of New London. The fifth amendment of the Constitution provides that private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation. The language is meant to prohibit government, not give a grant of power to government. However, on June 23, the Supreme Court handed down this decision under which any private property may now be taken from its owner for the benefit of another private property. The Court held in this decision that even the possibility of positive economic effects to the city was sufficient public purpose to justify the taking of one's properties. Under this standard, the seizure of virtually any private property for almost any purpose would be allowable. Mr. Chairman, I am deeply concerned about the grave effects this decision will have on property owners. Because of this decision, State and local governments now have the power to determine that a property owner is not sufficiently using his or her own property. I urge my colleagues to think about how this decision will disproportionately affect the poor, the elderly, and minorities. Cities may choose to take a person's property for anything they believe will increase their tax base. Certainly, those with less political power and less resources will make for the easiest targets. As Sandra Day O'Connor said in her dissenting opinion: ``Nothing is to prevent the State from replacing a Motel 6 with a Ritz Carlton, any home with a shopping mall, or a farm with a factory.'' The fifth amendment was supposed to stop that, Mr. Chairman. That is why this decision was opposed by such groups as the NAACP, the AARP, in addition to the National Taxpayers Union, the Americans for Tax Reform, the Institute for Justice, the NFIB, the National Association of Homebuilders, and the list goes on. Mr. Chairman, property rights are fundamental freedom. There is an opportunity for every American to control their own destiny. They serve as our fundamental protection from the utter destruction of government. Congress must take action to protect property owners in the aftermath of this flawed decision. I encourage all Members to stand with the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Garrett) and me on this important amendment.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to address two critical problems: preventing wasteful government spending and at the same time giving our States more resources they need. My amendment will take $100 million in unnecessary government subsidies from Amtrak and redirect it to HUD's Homeless Assistance Grants to help States combat homelessness. Mr. Chairman, I know we have just completed a very long debate on Amtrak, but creating a budget is all about setting and sticking to priorities and tightening your belt when you need to. In that process, I think it is important that we get the maximum return that we can from our Federal taxpayer dollars. As we know, the President recommended eliminating funding for Amtrak unless they reform themselves, and we originally proposed $550 million; but now we are at near $1.2 billion. However, instead of being thankful, Amtrak President David Gunn claimed the impact of $550 million in Federal support would be the same as getting zero. Where else but Washington can you hear someone complain that if you only get $550 million that they would be as well off as getting nothing. This is not about the northeast corridor, which is very sustainable. It is about Amtrak's refusal to reform itself. Refusal to eliminate lines like the disastrous Sunset Limited that takes from 6 days to trek from Los Angeles to Orlando, costing taxpayers as much or more than it would cost to buy each passenger an airplane ticket. Amtrak uses funding from its profitable areas in a forlorn attempt to prop up these lines. Mr. Chairman, this is simply unacceptable. Instead of dumping more money into a failed Amtrak system, I propose that we take some of that money and give it to those who can actually use it, State housing agencies trying to end homelessness through HUD's Homeless Assistance Grants program. The Homeless Assistance Grants program was created to fund HUD's four major programs that funds housing services for the homeless. These four programs form the core of HUD's Continuum of Care strategy to work with local governments and service providers to combat homelessness. They help States renovate and rehabilitate buildings for use for emergency shelters, provide transitional and permanent housing for homeless families with children and those with disabilities, and provide assistance to homeless adults who have serious mental illness or chronic substance abuse problems. The bill before us today grants $1.34 billion for homeless grants, but it is $100 million short of the President's budget request. Mr. Chairman, while some can debate whether or not this is the best and most efficient strategy for fighting homeless, there is no doubt these programs can help improve the lives of individuals in need more than continuing to throw even more money at Amtrak. For States like Minnesota, which has a 10-year program to end long- term homelessness, the Homeless Assistance Grants program constitutes the bulk of matching Federal aid to support this goal. Adding $100 million to this program, according to one estimate, increases the number of housing units available to fight homelessness by up to 3,400 for a period of 4 years, or 13,500 unit-years of assistance. I think it would be beyond irresponsible to deny the funding these programs need to work only to continue to prop up an Amtrak system that has been a neverending black hole of wasted taxpayers' dollars. Mr. Chairman, if we are serious about curbing wasteful government spending and giving States the resources they need to fight challenges they face like homelessness, we must take action to ensure not another dollar is thrown away on Amtrak when it can be put to good use. I urge all Members to take a stand against waste and in favor of helping those in need. Vote for the Kennedy amendment.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. I would like to speak in opposition to this amendment, Mr. Chairman. And I would agree with the gentleman from Florida (Chairman Mica) that I, like he, am for high-speed rail. We are for commuter rail that gets people in high volume areas back to work and forth. But if we want to preserve Amtrak as a viable entity, I agree also with the gentleman from Michigan (Chairman Knollenberg) who said, if you care about Amtrak, oppose this amendment, because if we do not reform Amtrak, it is hard for us to be able to afford its survival. I would just cite the Washington Post editorial of May of this year where they listed as the first test to whether Amtrak is going to make it is whether they force the closure of the most uneconomic routes. That is what this amendment tries to oppose. The second test, according to the Washington Post, is that Amtrak needed better management. Better management would recognize this, would oppose this amendment. We need to stand up for both Amtrak's future and for our taxpayers. Oppose this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg).

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry) for his leadership on this. I also want to thank the gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Wolf) for the great work he has done with the very difficult challenge of funding very important programs. But I just cannot help but continue to think about a young girl named Megan in a beautiful town in Minnesota that started using meth in seventh grade at age 13, and when she first took it, which she got from a friend, she said, This is something I am going to do over and over again. She did. But when she could not afford it, her addiction, she, like too many other female addicts, was exploited into becoming a prostitute to pay for the meth she craved every day. After hitting bottom at age 18, she is now pulling her life back together. But she has too many in her company. One out of five people that are meth addicts in recovery are 17 years or younger in the State of Minnesota. We need to make sure that we have the resources at the local level to address this. We need to send a signal that this is important to Congress, that we stand with our law enforcement agents as they are trying to rid this country of this scourge. We need to make sure that those that are trying to sell this poison know that we are out to stop them.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry) for holding this Special Order. I thank the gentleman from Indiana (Chairman Souder) for his leadership on all of this. It is going to take all of us together to make sure that we address this very important issue. We have concerns that we are not putting enough resources into funding to help out local law enforcement address the very challenging issues that are tearing up our communities with methamphetamine and drugs. And as the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) pointed out, this started out in just a few States, but it has really spread all way from San Diego to the Shenandoah Valley. That is why we have to support these good, working anti-drug programs. One key, though, is that these drug task forces need to be supported. There are 800 around the country. If we go through with what the President proposed or even what the good work of the gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Wolf) and his committee have resulted in, we are going to be losing those drug task forces that have been doing such great work. As we think about what this is all about, I am thinking about a tragic story of a young girl named Megan from a beautiful town in Minnesota. She started on meth when she was in seventh grade at the age of 13, when some of her friends offered her the drug. And in her words, she liked meth so much that she knew she would use it over and over again. But when she could not afford the addiction, she, like so many other female addicts, was exploited into becoming a prostitute to pay for the meth she craved every second of the day. After hitting rock bottom at the age of 18, Megan is managing to pull her life back together now after 5 years have been stolen from her by meth. But she has too much company in the treatment and addiction programs because about one in five of those treated for meth use in the State of Minnesota are 17 years old or younger. But just as Megan is finding a way out of this black hole, we are thinking about cutting the funding for Byrne grants that help local police address the meth issues. These cuts are wrong. They will cut task forces in our State and across the country, and who will be there to protect the children from those making and pushing the poison if this House approves such a devastating cut in the Byrne-Justice Assistance Grant program? Mr. Speaker, I say to my colleagues that there has to be a better way, and there is. We can help young people like Megan reject meth before they even try it by restoring Byrne grants to the fiscal year 2005 funded level. Doing so will send a strong signal that Congress is serious about fighting the scourge of the meth. We must send a signal that the Byrne grant program is important to Congress and that we do support the work of the local officials. We must send a signal to the pushers of this poison that they are not welcome in our communities. Most importantly, we must send a signal to our law enforcement officers who wake up every morning to protect our families that we stand with them in fighting against drugs and we will work with them to give them every tool they need to be successful. I urge my colleagues to support the amendment that the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry) and I have helped to put forth. Let us stand with law enforcement. Let us protect the Byrne grant program.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Madam Chairman, reclaiming my time, I would like to thank the chairman for his commitment and look forward to working with him to have more resources for this vitally important need in the conference report.

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina.