I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2613
To provide additional funding to combat methamphetamine production and
abuse, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 27, 1999
Mr. LATHAM introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Commerce,
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
A BILL
To provide additional funding to combat methamphetamine
production and abuse, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rural Methamphet-
amine Use Response Act of 1999’’.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) The term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Ad-
ministrator of the Drug Enforcement Administra-
tion.
(2) The term ‘‘Committees’’ means the Com-
mittees on Appropriations and the Committees on
the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and
the Senate.
(3) The term ‘‘midsize city’’ means a city with
a population under 250,000 and over 20,000.
(4) The term ‘‘rural area’’ means a county or
parish with a population under 50,000.
(5) The term ‘‘small city’’ means a city with a
population under 20,000.
SEC. 3. REPORT ON METHAMPHETAMINE CONSUMPTION IN
RURAL AREAS, SMALL CITIES, AND MIDSIZE
CITIES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and
Human Services shall submit to the Committees annually
a report on the problems caused by methamphetamine
consumption in rural areas, small cities, and midsize cit-
ies.
(b) CONCERNS ADDRESSED.—Each report submitted
under this section shall include an analysis of—
(1) the manner in which methamphetamine con-
sumption in rural areas differs from methamphet-
amine consumption in areas with larger populations,
and the means by which to accurately measure those
differences;
(2) the incidence of methamphetamine abuse in
rural areas and the treatment resources available to
deal with methamphetamine addiction in those
areas;
(3) any relationship between methamphetamine
consumption in rural areas and a lack of substance
abuse treatment in those areas; and
(4) any relationship between geographic dif-
ferences in the availability of substance abuse treat-
ment and the geographic distribution of the meth-
amphetamine abuse problem in the United States.
SEC. 4. CLEANUP OF METHAMPHETAMINE LABORATORIES
AND PRODUCTION MATERIALS.
(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
authorized to be appropriated for the Drug Enforcement
Administration for each fiscal year after fiscal year 1999,
$20,000,000 in order to carry out the activities described
in subsection (b).
(b) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Amounts appropriated pur-
suant to the authorization of appropriations in sub-
section (a) shall be available to the Drug Enforce-
ment Administration for activities to alleviate the
growing financial burden on rural communities,
small cities, midsize cities, and other communities
resulting from the cleanup of clandestine labora-
tories and other drug-related hazardous waste.
(2) SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES.—The activities cov-
ered by paragraph (1) shall include the following:
(A) The cleanup of clandestine laboratories
and other drug-related hazardous waste across
the United States, whether initiated by the
Drug Enforcement Administration or by State
or local entities.
(B) The improvement of current contract-
related response times for cleanup of such lab-
oratories and waste through the provision of ad-
ditional contract personnel, equipment, and fa-
cilities.
(c) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—The amounts
authorized to be appropriated by subsection (a) for the
Drug Enforcement Administration for a fiscal year are in
addition to any other amounts authorized to be appro-
priated for the Administration for the fiscal year for the
activities described in subsection (b).
SEC. 5. INVESTIGATIVE ASSISTANCE RELATING TO METH-
AMPHETAMINE FOR STATE AND LOCAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings:
(1) Because of the strong connection between
methamphetamine trafficking and Mexican drug
trafficking organizations, many local law enforce-
ment agencies are confronted with methamphet-
amine trafficking suspects who speak Spanish.
(2) Most local law enforcement agencies lack
the foreign language and specialized investigative
skills necessary to communicate with and monitor
suspected drug traffickers, thereby limiting their
ability to respond effectively to methamphetamine
trafficking.
(3) 
Informants, 
witnesses, 
communications
intercepts, and other investigative tools are of lim-
ited use if an investigator cannot understand the
language employed.
(4) The timely provision of select Drug En-
forcement Administration Special Agents with Span-
ish language capability and specialized clandestine
laboratory training could greatly assist in the efforts
of State and local law enforcement against meth-
amphetamine traffickers and their operations.
(b) INVESTIGATIVE ASSISTANCE.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es-
tablish within the Drug Enforcement Administration
a select cadre of Special Agents with Spanish lan-
guage capabilities who shall work with State and
local law enforcement agencies across the United
States on matters relating to the combating of meth-
amphetamine-related drug trafficking.
(2) COMPOSITION OF CADRE.—The cadre estab-
lished under paragraph (1) shall consist of 20 Spe-
cial Agents with the requisite Spanish language
skills.
(3) ALLOCATION.—The Administrator shall de-
termine the allocation of the Special Agents in the
cadre referred to in paragraph (1) through ongoing
assessments of the national methamphetamine
threat.
(4) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—
There is authorized to be appropriated for the Drug
Enforcement Administration for fiscal year 2000,
$4,700,000 of which—
(A) $3,000,000 shall be available for pur-
poses of establishing the cadre required by
paragraph (1), including the hiring and training
of agents to fill the cadre; and
(B) $1,700,000 shall be available to cover
the permanent change of stations (PCS) costs
associated with the transfer of senior agents se-
lected to staff the cadre.
SEC. 6. ADDITIONAL TRAINING FOR DRUG ENFORCEMENT
ADMINISTRATION AND STATE AND LOCAL
LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings:
(1) The spread of methamphetamine abuse and
production across the United States has forced law
enforcement agencies to address challenges that ex-
ceed the many years of experience of the personnel
within such agencies.
(2) Unlike cocaine or heroin, methamphetamine
can be produced easily from readily available every-
day products using recipes readily available on the
Internet.
(3) The chemicals involved in methamphet-
amine production can be caustic or explosive if han-
dled improperly.
(4) In order to meet the demand for training
and certification of local law enforcement personnel
to meet the challenges posed by methamphetamine
production and abuse, it is necessary to expand the
training capabilities of the Drug Enforcement Ad-
ministration.
(5) Most of the costs associated with the train-
ing of State and local law enforcement personnel are
costs relating to air travel.
(6) Because the Drug Enforcement Administra-
tion already provides training for State and local law
enforcement personnel, the establishment of regional
training centers in the Administration will both re-
duce travel costs associated with the training of such
personnel and enhance the training provided.
(7) Such regional training centers will permit
enhanced training of State and local law enforce-
ment personnel at reduced cost over the long term.
(b) REGIONAL SATELLITE TRAINING CENTERS.—
(1) REQUIREMENT.—The Administrator shall
establish within the Drug Enforcement Administra-
tion four regional satellite training centers for pur-
poses of providing clandestine laboratory training to
Federal, State, and local law enforcement personnel.
The Administrator shall establish the training cen-
ters at appropriate locations throughout the United
States.
(2) PERSONNEL.—The Administrator shall as-
sign to the centers established under paragraph (1)
12 Special Agents, 4 Drug Prevention Specialists,
and 8 Support personnel, as appropriate.
(3) ACTIVITIES OF DRUG PREVENTION SPECIAL-
ISTS.—The Drug Prevention Specialists assigned to
the centers under paragraph (2) shall work with
communities that have been previously assisted by
the Mobile Enforcement and Regional Enforcement
Teams of the Drug Enforcement Administration in
order to assist such communities in the development
of drug prevention programs and coalitions and pro-
vide a solid foundation for the long-term elimination
of drug trafficking, abuse, and violence in such com-
munities.
(4) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—
There is authorized to be appropriated for the Drug
Enforcement Administration for fiscal year 2000,
$30,000,000 for purposes of establishing the re-
gional centers required by paragraph (1), including
the assignment of personnel to such centers under
paragraph (2), and for training-related support for
such centers.
(c) 
SPECIALIZED
CLANDESTINE
LABORATORY
TRAINING.—
(1) SPECIALIZED
CLANDESTINE
LABORATORY
TRAINING.—In addition to any other clandestine lab-
oratory training programs currently administered by
the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Adminis-
trator shall establish the following:
(A) Advanced Clandestine Laboratory In-
vestigations schools for State and local law en-
forcement personnel.
(B) Additional Basic Clandestine Labora-
tory Certification Schools for both Drug En-
forcement Administration personnel and State
and local law enforcement personnel.
(C) A program, to be known as the ‘‘Train
the Trainer’’ program, in accordance with para-
graph (2).
(2) TRAIN THE TRAINER PROGRAM.—The pur-
pose of Train the Trainer program shall be to pro-
vide State and local law enforcement personnel with
the skills necessary to provide clandestine laboratory
recertification and awareness training to other law
enforcement personnel within their jurisdictions.
(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—
(A) AUTHORIZATION.—There is authorized
to be appropriated for the Drug Enforcement
Administration for each fiscal year after fiscal
year 1999, the following:
(i) $750,000 for Advanced Clandes-
tine Laboratory Investigation Schools re-
quired under paragraph (1)(A).
(ii) $2,000,000 for the additional
Basic Clandestine Laboratory Certification
Schools required under paragraph (1)(B).
(iii) $1,000,000 for the awareness ma-
terials required for the Train the Trainer
program required under paragraph (1)(C).
(B) 
SUPPLEMENT
NOT
SUPPLANT.—The
amounts authorized to be appropriated by subpara-
graph (A) are in addition to any other amounts au-
thorized to be appropriated for the Drug Enforce-
ment Agency for the activities referred to in para-
graph (1).
SEC. 7. ANNUAL STRATEGY ON METHAMPHETAMINE PRO-
DUCTION AND ABUSE.
(a) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 6 months after
the date of the enactment of this Act and annually there-
after, the Attorney General shall submit to the Commit-
tees a report containing a detailed strategy to combat the
problem of methamphetamine production and abuse in the
United States.
(b) INITIAL REPORT.—The first report submitted
under this section shall include the following:
(1) An assessment of the progress made in
achieving the goals first outlined in the April 1996
document 
entitled 
‘‘National 
Methamphetamine
Strategy’’, including a description of any successes
and failures in achieving such goals.
(2) A description of the progress made in con-
trolling methamphetamine in light of the goals es-
tablished by the Performance Measures of Effective-
ness established by the National Drug Control Strat-
egy.
(3) Any recommendations for legislative action
that the Attorney General considers necessary to im-
plement the strategy under subsection (a).
(c) SUBSEQUENT REPORTS.—Each report submitted
under this section after the first such report shall include
the following:
(1) An evaluation by the Attorney General of
the progress made in implementing the strategy.
(2) A description of the successes and failures
associated with implementing the strategy contained
in the report.
(3) Any recommendations for legislative action
that the Attorney General considers appropriate to
facilitate the continuing implementation of the strat-
egy.
SEC. 8. THEFT AND TRANSPORTATION OF ANHYDROUS AM-
MONIA.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Part D of the Controlled Sub-
stances Act (title II of Public Law 91–513; 21 U.S.C. 841
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘ANHYDROUS AMMONIA
‘‘SEC. 423 (a) It is unlawful for any person—
‘‘(1) to steal anhydrous ammonia; or
‘‘(2) to transport stolen anhydrous ammonia
across State lines.
‘‘(b) Any person who violates subsection (a) shall be
imprisoned or fined, or both, in accordance with section
403(d) as if such violation were a violation of a provision
of section 403.’’.
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents
for that Act is amended by inserting after the item relat-
ing to section 421 the following new items:
‘‘Sec. 422. Drug paraphernalia.
‘‘Sec. 423. Anhydrous ammonia.’’.
(c) ASSISTANCE FOR CERTAIN RESEARCH.—
(1) AGREEMENT.—The Administrator shall
seek to enter into an agreement with Iowa State
University in order to permit the University to con-
tinue and expand its current research into the devel-
opment of inert agents that, when added to anhy-
drous ammonia, eliminate the usefulness of anhy-
drous ammonia as an ingredient in the production of
methamphetamine.
(2) REIMBURSABLE
PROVISION
OF
FUNDS.—
The agreement under paragraph (1) may provide for
the provision to Iowa State University, on a reim-
bursable basis, of $500,000 for purposes the activi-
ties specified in that paragraph.
(3) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—
There is hereby authorized to be appropriated for
the Drug Enforcement Agency for fiscal year 2000,
$500,000 for purposes of carrying out the agree-
ment under this subsection.
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