THE FIGHT AGAINST METH CONTINUES IN NEBRASKA

Earlier this month, during a swing through Central and Western Nebraska, I heard a shocking figure about how addictive methamphetamine is. A law enforcement official told me that meth has a repeat rate of 98 percent. In other words, if someone takes meth once, the likelihood that he or she will take it again is 98 percent.

He was one of many police chiefs, sheriffs, county attorneys and undercover police officers I met with who had a clear message: they’ve made some progress, thanks to a new federal law that I co-sponsored that makes it harder to get material to manufacture meth, but the fight isn’t over and federal funds are essential to stopping the flow of drugs into rural areas.

One of the major federal crime-fighting programs that is critical to local law enforcement is called the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grant (Byrne-JAG)program, named after a slain police officer.

In Nebraska, the majority of our Byrne-JAG allocation is used to fund drug task forces that make thousands of arrests each year. In other words, Byrne funding is synonymous with fighting meth in our state.

In my meetings this month, law enforcement officials stressed that these funds are critical and that they are still needed if they are to continue their fight. They urged me to continue my fight for this funding. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this is their No. 1 federal issue.

Given the fact that we have a staggering number of meth addicts in our state – some 22,000, according to a study released in 2006 - we should be providing more resources to police, not fewer.

Unfortunately, the Administration has consistently proposed cuts for this program. In fact, in each of the last five years, they’ve proposed eliminating it altogether.

Considering that the Senate provided $660 million in funding for Fiscal Year 08, the magnitude of the cut to Byrne-JAG was shocking: only $170 million was included in the final bill. That amounts to a nearly 70 percent cut from last year. When the Administration starts with a zero on one side, it is hard to put enough into the program to keep up with the needs of law enforcement or even to keep pace with inflation.

The cuts are the product of a broken budget process, the Administration's determination to eliminate this program, and their demands to adhere to an arbitrary and inflexible funding cap for domestic programs.

It is unfortunate that we need to fight to keep this program year after year, but given the Administration’s stubbornness and determination to eliminate it, the fight is necessary.

Nebraska's drug task forces are a vital tool in our struggle to keep meth and other drugs out of our rural communities. The key word here is rural. As I've said before, when it comes to rural living, Washington doesn't get it. As one police chief told me, crime affects people in western Nebraska just as much as it does in metropolitan areas. And because it is so difficult to stop in rural areas, I will keep fighting to make sure that funding for federal crime-fighting programs continues.

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	Column	January 21, 2008
THE FIGHT AGAINST METH CONTINUES IN NEBRASKA Earlier this month, during a swing through Central and Western Nebraska, I heard a shocking figure about how addictive methamphetamine is. A law enforcement official told me that meth has a repeat rate of 98 percent. In other words, if someone takes meth once, the likelihood that he or she will take it again is 98 percent. He was one of many police chiefs, sheriffs, county attorneys and undercover police officers I met with who had a clear message: they’ve made some progress, thanks to a new federal law that I co-sponsored that makes it harder to get material to manufacture meth, but the fight isn’t over and federal funds are essential to stopping the flow of drugs into rural areas. One of the major federal crime-fighting programs that is critical to local law enforcement is called the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grant (Byrne-JAG)program, named after a slain police officer. In Nebraska, the majority of our Byrne-JAG allocation is used to fund drug task forces that make thousands of arrests each year. In other words, Byrne funding is synonymous with fighting meth in our state. In my meetings this month, law enforcement officials stressed that these funds are critical and that they are still needed if they are to continue their fight. They urged me to continue my fight for this funding. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this is their No. 1 federal issue. Given the fact that we have a staggering number of meth addicts in our state – some 22,000, according to a study released in 2006 - we should be providing more resources to police, not fewer. Unfortunately, the Administration has consistently proposed cuts for this program. In fact, in each of the last five years, they’ve proposed eliminating it altogether. Considering that the Senate provided $660 million in funding for Fiscal Year 08, the magnitude of the cut to Byrne-JAG was shocking: only $170 million was included in the final bill. That amounts to a nearly 70 percent cut from last year. When the Administration starts with a zero on one side, it is hard to put enough into the program to keep up with the needs of law enforcement or even to keep pace with inflation. The cuts are the product of a broken budget process, the Administration's determination to eliminate this program, and their demands to adhere to an arbitrary and inflexible funding cap for domestic programs. It is unfortunate that we need to fight to keep this program year after year, but given the Administration’s stubbornness and determination to eliminate it, the fight is necessary. Nebraska's drug task forces are a vital tool in our struggle to keep meth and other drugs out of our rural communities. The key word here is rural. As I've said before, when it comes to rural living, Washington doesn't get it. As one police chief told me, crime affects people in western Nebraska just as much as it does in metropolitan areas. And because it is so difficult to stop in rural areas, I will keep fighting to make sure that funding for federal crime-fighting programs continues. ###