Hooley Legislation Would Protect Drug-Endangered Children

Bill would Provide $20 million in Grants for FY 08 and 09.

Congresswoman Darlene Hooley

(Washington DC) - Today Congresswoman Darlene Hooley (OR-5) teamed up with Congressmen Dennis Cardoza (CA-18) and Rick Larsen (WA-2) to introduce legislation to help children living in homes in which methamphetamine or other drugs are used or manufactured by providing $20 million for Drug Endangered Children grants for fiscal years (FY) 2008 and 2009.

The Drug Endangered Children grants provide money to states to improve coordination between the state and local agencies that provide assistance to children found in homes made dangerous by drugs and to aid the transition of these children to safe residential environments. The grants were authorized in the PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 at $20 million, but no funding was provided for them in the FY07 Science, State, Justice, and Commerce Appropriations bill.

On the House Floor, Hooley, Cardoza and Larsen were able to amend that legislation to include $5 million for the grants in the House version of the bill. But because the House and Senate were unable to reach agreement on this and other Appropriations bills before the end of the fiscal year, a Continuing Resolution excluded funding for the grants due to budget constraints.

"The most tragic victims of the meth epidemic are the drug-endangered children," said Hooley. "Children living in meth houses are exposed to toxic chemicals on a daily basis and face the constant threat of physical, mental, and emotional abuse from the nonstop flow of addicts through their home. These important grants will help states protect the most innocent and fragile victims of meth: our children."

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), over 15,000 children were found at meth labs from 2000 to 2004. Child welfare agencies and law enforcement are stretched thin in many areas across the country in trying to respond to this enormous challenge.

According to a survey released last year by the National Association of Counties, 69% of responding officials from county social service agencies indicate that their counties have had to provide additional and special training for welfare system workers and have had to develop new and special protocols for workers to address the special needs of these children displaced by parental meth use.