Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program

BYRNE JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the importance of the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program.

The White House again proposed eliminating this critical asset in the war on drugs. That would be a tremendous mistake. Congress must protect this funding to address the clear and present danger of meth in our communities.

In my home state of Nebraska, 60 percent of prison inmates are serving time for meth-related crimes. State social services programs are overwhelmed by the rising number of children coming from meth homes. The number of babies born addicted to meth is an unspeakable tragedy.

Each day, our dedicated law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to rescue families and communities from the scourge of meth. Anything less than full funding of Byrne-JAG would break faith with those who risk their lives to keep meth off our streets and away from our children.

In Nebraska, Byrne task forces were responsible for 5,500 drug arrests last year. Nationwide, Byrne task forces seized 5,600 meth labs, 55,000 weapons, and massive quantities of narcotics, including 2.7 million grams of meth.

The results of Byrne task forces are real, they are quantifiable, they are defensible, and they demonstrate the power of using federal dollars to leverage state and local investment in public safety.

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