109th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2315
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a federally-supported
education and awareness campaign for the prevention of methamphetamine use.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 16, 2006
Mr. BURNS introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred
to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a federally-supported
education and awareness campaign for the prevention of methamphetamine use.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Methamphetamine Awareness and Prevention Act
of 2006'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) Findings- Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Methamphetamine addiction is a growing epidemic in the United States.
(2) Existing programs within the Federal Government do not specifically
target methamphetamine use in an effective manner, considering the widespread
use of the drug.
(3) The existing drug policy of the Federal Government focuses on the
impact of marijuana as a gateway drug rather than methamphetamine.
(4) Methamphetamine use impacts a variety of Federal and State services,
from child welfare to addiction, treatment, and housing costing taxpayers
millions of dollars every year.
(5) The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found
in 2004 that 1,400,000 persons ages 12 and older used methamphetamine
in the past year.
(6) Precursor chemicals for the production of methamphetamine vary widely
and are easily accessible across the United States.
(b) Purpose- It is the purpose of this Act to prevent the spread of methamphetamine
through the establishment of a competitive grant program to identify successful
methamphetamine education and awareness campaigns.
SEC. 3. AMENDMENT TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT.
Part A of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290aa et seq.)
is amended by adding at the end the following:
`SEC. 506C. METHAMPHETAMINE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION.
`(1) IN GENERAL- There is established within the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration an office to be known as the Methamphetamine
Awareness and Prevention Office. The Office shall be headed by a director
to be appointed by the Secretary.
`(2) DUTIES- In addition to other activities determined appropriate by
the Secretary to reduce the use of methamphetamines, the director of the
Office shall administer the grant program established under subsection
(b).
`(1) IN GENERAL- The director of the Office shall establish a program
to award competitive grants to eligible entities for the establishment
and implementation of successful methamphetamine education and awareness
campaigns to reduce the spread of methamphetamine use.
`(2) ELIGIBILITY- To be eligible for a grant under this subsection an
entity shall--
`(A) be a State or local government or a private nonprofit organization;
`(B) submit to the director of the Office an application in accordance
with paragraph (3)(C); and
`(C) provide assurances that the entity will contribute non-Federal
funds towards the costs of carrying out activities under the grant in
an amount equal to 100 percent of the amount received under the grant.
`(A) PROCESS- Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of
this section, the director of the Office shall solicit applications
for grants under this subsection. The director of the Office shall notify
an applicant in writing of the reasons why an applicant has failed to
be awarded such a grant.
`(B) EVALUATION OF APPLICATIONS- In determining whether to award a grant
to an applicant under this subsection, the director of the Office shall--
`(i) evaluate the scope of the education and awareness campaign to
be conducted under the grant to ensure that the target audience is
reached;
`(ii) consider the duration of the education and awareness campaign
involved and the expected positive impact at the State or local level;
`(iii) consider the ability of the applicant to tailor the message
to at-risk populations;
`(iv) require a reduced match of 50 percent with respect to applications
from rural or underserved areas, such as Indian reservations, with
little access to outside capital, and any other areas deemed eligible
by the director of the Office; and
`(v) consider the benefit of the applicant's program based on the
criteria described in clauses (i) through (iv).
`(C) CONTENTS- An application submitted under paragraph (2)(B) shall
contain--
`(i) a description of the methamphetamine education and awareness
campaign to be funded under the grant and how such campaign will significantly
curb methamphetamine use, especially among those vulnerable to using
methamphetamine for the first time;
`(ii) a description of the significance of the methamphetamine problem
in the area targeted by the applicant's campaign, which may include
the use of statistics provided through the annual research of the
Administration as well as any statistics collected by the Department
of Justice, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, or any other
State or local law enforcement agency determined useful by the Office
to accurately identify the scope of the methamphetamine problem;
`(iii) a description of the size and characteristics of the target
audience (including a focus on pre-teen and teenage populations and
populations that are historically vulnerable to first-time use) and
the most effective means to reach such audience as determined through
the conduct of a thorough review by the applicant prior to the submission
of the application;
`(iv) a detailed budget or spending plan for use of grant funds;
`(v) evidence to demonstrate positive outcomes of the campaign; and
`(vi) any other information determined appropriate by the director
of the Office.
`(4) LIMITATION- An entity may receive not more than one grant in each
fiscal year under this subsection. Each such grant shall not exceed $5,000,000.
`(5) SUBMISSION OF IMPACT REPORTS- Not later than 90 days after the exhaustion
of each grant period, the grant recipient shall submit to the director
of the Office a report on the impact of the education and awareness campaign
carried out under the grant. Each such report shall include quantitative
data to demonstrate, with respect to the campaign, the size of the audience
reached, the impact of the campaign, and the reaction to the campaign
from the State or local area involved. The director of the Office shall
use such impact reports in any subsequent determinations with respect
to grant awards.
`(c) Report to Congress- Not later than 90 days after the end of the first
and each subsequent grant cycle under this section, the director of the
Office shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that
contains a summary of grant awards under subsection (b) and the impact of
such grants on communities throughout the United States. Information contained
in the report may be shared among all interested Federal and State entities
for use to coordinate effective methamphetamine prevention activities.
`(d) Definitions- In this section:
`(1) EDUCATION AND AWARENESS CAMPAIGN- The term `education and awareness
campaign' means a coordinated effort to reduce methamphetamine use through
the use of any media, print, radio, television, Internet-based or any
other mode of communication to convey messages to an audience.
`(2) GRANT CYCLE- The term `grant cycle' means the length of time from
the date on which a grant is awarded under this section until the date
on which such grant is expended.
`(3) OFFICE- The term `Office' means the Methamphetamine Awareness and
Prevention Office.
`(e) Authorization of Appropriations- There is authorized to be appropriated
to carry out this section, $25,250,000 for fiscal year 2006. Of the amount
appropriated for such fiscal year, $250,000 shall be made available for
the activities of the Office, and $25,000,000 shall be made available for
grants under subsection (b).'.
END
