Calendar No. 65
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 956
AN ACT
To amend the National Narcotics Leadership Act
of 1988 to establish a program to support and
encourage local communities that first dem-
onstrate a comprehensive, long-term commitment
to reduce substance abuse among youth, and for
other purposes.
JUNE 2, 1997
Received; read twice and placed on the calendar
II
Calendar No. 65
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 956
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
JUNE 2, 1997
Received; read twice and placed on the calendar
AN ACT
To amend the National Narcotics Leadership Act of 1988
to establish a program to support and encourage local
communities that first demonstrate a comprehensive,
long-term commitment to reduce substance abuse among
youth, and for other purposes.
HR 956 PCS
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 ‘‘Drug-Free Commu-
nities Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The National Narcotics Leader-
ship Act of 1988 (21 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) is amended—
(1) by inserting between sections 1001 and
1002 the following:
‘‘CHAPTER 1—OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG
CONTROL POLICY’’;
and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘CHAPTER 2—DRUG-FREE COMMUNITIES
‘‘SEC. 1021. FINDINGS.
‘‘Congress finds the following:
‘‘(1) Substance abuse among youth has more
than doubled in the 5-year period preceding 1996,
with substantial increases in the use of marijuana,
inhalants, cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD, and
heroin.
‘‘(2) The most dramatic increases in substance
abuse has occurred among 13- and 14-year-olds.
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‘‘(3) Casual or periodic substance abuse by
youth today will contribute to hard core or chronic
substance abuse by the next generation of adults.
‘‘(4) Substance abuse is at the core of other
problems, such as rising violent teenage and violent
gang crime, increasing health care costs, HIV infec-
tions, teenage pregnancy, high school dropouts, and
lower economic productivity.
‘‘(5) Increases in substance abuse among youth
are due in large part to an erosion of understanding
by youth of the high risks associated with substance
abuse, and to the softening of peer norms against
use.
‘‘(6)(A) Substance abuse is a preventable be-
havior and a treatable disease; and
‘‘(B)(i) during the 13-year period beginning
with 1979, monthly use of illegal drugs among youth
12 to 17 years of age declined by over 70 percent;
and
‘‘(ii) data suggests that if parents would simply
talk to their children regularly about the dangers of
substance abuse, use among youth could be expected
to decline by as much as 30 percent.
‘‘(7) Community anti-drug coalitions through-
out the United States are successfully developing
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and implementing comprehensive, long-term strate-
gies to reduce substance abuse among youth on a
sustained basis.
‘‘(8) Intergovernmental cooperation and coordi-
nation through national, State, and local or tribal
leadership and partnerships are critical to facilitate
the reduction of substance abuse among youth in
communities throughout the United States.
‘‘SEC. 1022. PURPOSES.
‘‘The purposes of this chapter are—
‘‘(1) to reduce substance abuse among youth in
communities throughout the United States, and over
time, to reduce substance abuse among adults;
‘‘(2) to strengthen collaboration among commu-
nities, the Federal Government, and State, local,
and tribal governments;
‘‘(3) to enhance intergovernmental cooperation
and coordination on the issue of substance abuse
among youth;
‘‘(4) to serve as a catalyst for increased citizen
participation and greater collaboration among all
sectors and organizations of a community that first
demonstrates a long-term commitment to reducing
substance abuse among youth;
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‘‘(5) to rechannel resources from the fiscal year
1998 Federal drug control budget to provide tech-
nical assistance, guidance, and financial support to
communities that demonstrate a long-term commit-
ment in reducing substance abuse among youth;
‘‘(6) to disseminate to communities timely in-
formation regarding the state-of-the-art practices
and initiatives that have proven to be effective in re-
ducing substance abuse among youth;
‘‘(7) to enhance, not supplant, local community
initiatives for reducing substance abuse among
youth; and
‘‘(8) to encourage the creation of and support
for community anti-drug coalitions throughout the
United States.
‘‘SEC. 1023. DEFINITIONS.
‘‘In this chapter:
‘‘(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘Adminis-
trator’ means the Administrator appointed by the
Director under section 1031(c).
‘‘(2) ADVISORY COMMISSION.—The term ‘Advi-
sory Commission’ means the Advisory Commission
established under section 1041.
‘‘(3) COMMUNITY.—The term ‘community’ shall
have the meaning provided that term by the Admin-
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istrator, in consultation with the Advisory Commis-
sion.
‘‘(4) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means
the Director of the Office of National Drug Control
Policy.
‘‘(5) ELIGIBLE COALITION.—The term ‘eligible
coalition’ means a coalition that meets the applicable
criteria under section 1032(a).
‘‘(6) GRANT RECIPIENT.—The term ‘grant re-
cipient’ means the recipient of a grant award under
section 1032.
‘‘(7) NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION.—The term
‘nonprofit organization’ means an organization de-
scribed under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Reve-
nue Code of 1986 that is exempt from taxation
under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986.
‘‘(8) PROGRAM.—The term ‘Program’ means
the program established under section 1031(a).
‘‘(9) SUBSTANCE ABUSE.—The term ‘substance
abuse’ means—
‘‘(A) the illegal use or abuse of drugs, in-
cluding substances listed in schedules I through
V of section 112 of the Controlled Substances
Act (21 U.S.C. 812);
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‘‘(B) the abuse of inhalants; or
‘‘(C) the use of alcohol, tobacco, or other
related product as such use is prohibited by
State or local law.
‘‘(10) YOUTH.—The term ‘youth’ shall have the
meaning provided that term by the Administrator, in
consultation with the Advisory Commission.
‘‘SEC. 1024. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap-
propriated to the Office of National Drug Control Policy
to carry out this chapter—
‘‘(1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1998;
‘‘(2) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 1999;
‘‘(3) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2000;
‘‘(4) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2001; and
‘‘(5) $43,500,000 for fiscal year 2002.
‘‘(b) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Not more than the
following percentages of the amounts authorized under
subsection (a) may be used to pay administrative costs:
‘‘(1) 10 percent for fiscal year 1998.
‘‘(2) 6 percent for fiscal year 1999.
‘‘(3) 4 percent for fiscal year 2000.
‘‘(4) 3 percent for fiscal year 2001.
‘‘(5) 3 percent for fiscal year 2002.
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‘‘Subchapter I—Drug-Free Communities
Support Program
‘‘SEC. 1031. ESTABLISHMENT OF DRUG-FREE COMMUNITIES
SUPPORT PROGRAM.
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director shall establish
a program to support communities in the development and
implementation of comprehensive, long-term plans and
programs to prevent and treat substance abuse among
youth.
‘‘(b) PROGRAM.—In carrying out the Program, the
Director shall—
‘‘(1) make and track grants to grant recipients;
‘‘(2) provide for technical assistance and train-
ing, data collection, and dissemination of informa-
tion on state-of-the-art practices that the Director
determines to be effective in reducing substance
abuse; and
‘‘(3) provide for the general administration of
the Program.
‘‘(c) ADMINISTRATION.—Not later than 30 days after
receiving recommendations from the Advisory Commission
under section 1042(a)(1), the Director shall appoint an
Administrator to carry out the Program.
‘‘(d) CONTRACTING.—The Director may employ any
necessary staff and may enter into contracts or agree-