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88–108PDF 2014

WESTERN HEMISPHERE DRUG POLICY

COMMISSION ACT OF 2014

MARKUP

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON 

THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

ON

H.R. 4640

MAY 30, 2014

Serial No. 113–145

Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

(

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/ or

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/

(II)

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

EDWARD R. ROYCE, California, Chairman 

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey 

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida 

DANA ROHRABACHER, California 

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio 

JOE WILSON, South Carolina 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas 

TED POE, Texas 

MATT SALMON, Arizona 

TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania 

JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina 

ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois 

MO BROOKS, Alabama 

TOM COTTON, Arkansas 

PAUL COOK, California 

GEORGE HOLDING, North Carolina 

RANDY K. WEBER SR., Texas 

SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania 

STEVE STOCKMAN, Texas 

RON DESANTIS, Florida 

DOUG COLLINS, Georgia 

MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina 

TED S. YOHO, Florida 

SEAN DUFFY, Wisconsin 

ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York 

ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American 

Samoa 

BRAD SHERMAN, California 

GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York 

ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey 

GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia 

THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida 

BRIAN HIGGINS, New York 

KAREN BASS, California 

WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts 

DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island 

ALAN GRAYSON, Florida 

JUAN VARGAS, California 

BRADLEY S. SCHNEIDER, Illinois 

JOSEPH P. KENNEDY III, Massachusetts 

AMI BERA, California 

ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California 

GRACE MENG, New York 

LOIS FRANKEL, Florida 

TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii 

JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas

AMY PORTER, Chief of Staff THOMAS SHEEHY, Staff Director

JASON STEINBAUM, Democratic Staff Director 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE

MATT SALMON, Arizona, Chairman 

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey 

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas 

JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina 

RON DESANTIS, Florida 

ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey 

GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York 

ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American 

Samoa 

THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida 

ALAN GRAYSON, Florida 

(III)

C O N T E N T S 

Page

MARKUP OF 

H.R. 4640, To establish the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission ...... 2

Amendment to H.R. 4640 offered by the Honorable Matt Salmon, a Representative in Congress from the State of Arizona, and chairman, Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere .......................................................... 14

APPENDIX 

Markup notice .......................................................................................................... 18

Markup minutes ...................................................................................................... 19

Markup summary .................................................................................................... 20

(1)

WESTERN HEMISPHERE DRUG POLICY 

COMMISSION ACT OF 2014

FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2014

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE,

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS,

Washington, DC. 

The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:45 a.m., in room 

2200, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Matt Salmon (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. 

Mr. SALMON. The subcommittee will come to order. Pursuant to 

notice, I call up H.R. 4640, the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy 

Commission Act of 2014, and I ask unanimous consent that the 

text of H.R. 4640 is modified by Salmon Amendment 54 that was 

provided to your office on Wednesday be considered base text for 

the purposes of markup. So ordered. 

Without objection, the base text is considered read, and open for 

amendment at any point, and all members may have 5 days to insert remarks for the record. And I recognize myself to speak on this 

measure. 

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Mr. SALMON. Today the subcommittee meets to consider H.R. 

4640, a bill to establish the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission. I want to thank the full committee, Ranking Member Eliot 

Engel and his staff, as well as Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen 

and Ranking Member Sires for joining Mr. Engel and me in moving 

this piece of legislation forward. 

We have learned in recent subcommittee hearings that the 

transnational criminal organizations and narcotics traffickers continue to operate with impunity throughout the Western Hemisphere region, and have become increasingly sophisticated and violent. The United States has partnered with Mexico, as well as Central American and Caribbean countries, to build capacity for those 

governments to deal with the grave security situation. Through the 

Merida Initiative, the Central American Regional Security InitiaVerDate 0ct 09 2002 15:21 Jun 18, 2014 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\_WH\053014M\88108 SHIRL

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tive, and the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, we have been 

helping to give these partner countries the tools they need to confront the scourge of these transnational criminal organizations. We 

need to do all we can to confront this threat, particularly because 

this violence is happening right at our doorstep. Naturally, we need 

to be sure we are using taxpayer resources wisely, and that we are 

employing the most effective strategies. The fact is, drug policy in 

the Western Hemisphere has been costly, and has had mixed results. While CRS has determined, we have spent upwards of $16 

billion on this effort since the 1980s, some outside experts have 

come up with less conservative estimates nearing the $1-trillion 

mark spent on counterdrug efforts in Latin America since 1970. 

That is a lot of hard-earned taxpayer money without results to 

match. This bill will mandate a commission to determine what has 

worked, what hasn’t, and what needs to be done going forward. 

That is common sense. 

I have included an amendment that places a firm limit on spend- ing for this commission, not to exceed $2 million provided in the 

bill. This is a small investment to determine our best practices 

going forward to ensure that future U.S. taxpayer funds are realizing the results that were intended. Thank you again, Ranking 

Member Engel, for your work on this issue. It is time to get this 

effort right, not only for the security of our country and communities, but for the taxpayer and those tasked with leading the fight. 

And I now recognize Mr. Engel for his remarks. 

Mr. ENGEL. Thank you very much, Chairman Salmon. Thank you 

very much for holding today’s markup of the Western Hemisphere 

Drug Policy Commission Act, and thank you for being the lead Republican sponsor of this bill. I also appreciate Ranking Member 

Sires’ leadership on this subcommittee, and his co-sponsorship of 

our bill. And as a former chairman of this subcommittee, I want 

to tell you it is always good to be back. 

This legislation would create an independent commission to 

evaluate U.S. policies aimed at reducing drug production and trafficking in the Western Hemisphere. The commission will be required to submit recommendations on future U.S. drug policy to 

Congress, the Secretary of State, and the Director of the Office of 

National Drug Control Policy, 12 months after its first meeting. 

A similar bill which I authored passed the House of Representatives unanimously in 2009. It didn’t pass the Senate. That is why 

we are here. I am determined to bring this bill across the finish 

line and to the President’s desk this time around. With $15.7 billion spent on counternarcotics programs in Latin America and the 

Caribbean between 1980 and 2012, it is important to take stock of 

what has worked, what has not worked, and what future U.S. drug 

policy should look like. While billions of taxpayer dollars have been 

spent over the years to fight the drug trade, illegal drug use in our 

country remains high. In particular, I am concerned by the dramatic increase in heroin use in our country. Attorney General Eric 

Holder recently noted that heroin overdose deaths in the United 

States increased by an alarming 45 percent between 2006 and 

2010. 

On the supply side, nearly all cocaine consumed in the United 

States originates in South America, while most heroin consumed 

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here is from Colombia, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean are key transit regions for drugs entering our country. I am 

particularly concerned that the drug trade has shifted back to the 

Caribbean with 16 percent of cocaine imports into the United 

States coming through the Caribbean last year, compared to 4 percent in 2011. 

To tackle our Nation’s horrific drug problem once and for all, we 

must have a better sense of what works, and what does not work. 

Our partners in the Americas who have worked closely with us in 

fighting drug trafficking for years, and the citizens of our great 

country who deal every day with illegal drugs on their streets deserve no less. 

So in closing, I would like to once again thank Chairman Salmon 

for holding this morning’s markup, and I urge my colleagues to 

support this bipartisan legislation. Thank you. 

Mr. SALMON. Thank you, Mr. DeSantis, did you seek recognition? 

Mr. DESANTIS. No. 

Mr. SALMON. All right. Are there any further amendments to the 

base text? No? Hearing no further amendments, the question is on 

agreeing to H.R. 4640 as amended. All those in favor, say aye. 

All those opposed, no. 

In the opinion of the Chair the ayes have it and the text is 

agreed to. 

Without objection H.R. 4640 as amended will be reported favorably to the full Committee on Foreign Affairs and staff is directed 

to make any technical and conforming changes. And that concludes 

our business, and without objection, the subcommittee stands adjourned. 

That has got to be a record, right? Thank you. 

[Whereupon, at 9:50 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.] 

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A P P E N D I X 

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