Kennedy Receives "Congressman of the Year Award" from National Narcotics Officers Associations Coalition

Kennedy Receives "Congressman of the Year Award" from National Narcotics Officers Associations Coalition

Washington, D.C. Congressman Mark Kennedy received the National Narcotics Officers Associations Coalition s (NNOAC) Congressman of the Year honor, awarded by an unanimous vote, today for his leadership in support of local drug task forces and narcotics officers throughout the nation.

"Since coming to Congress, one of my top priorities has been ensuring that local drug task forces and those who protect our communities have the tools they need to do their job," Kennedy said.

"NNOAC members are on the front lines of this country s war on illegal drugs. They protect our communities and our children from the scourge of drugs like meth," added Kennedy. "One in five meth users are 17 years old or younger, trapping too many kids in prostitution to pay for their fix, subjecting too many young children to the production of poison in their homes, causing 8 out of 10 child protection cases, and destroying the peace and tranquility of too many communities and neighborhoods."

This year, Congressman Kennedy successfully led a bipartisan effort to restore $50 million to the Edward Byrne-Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne-JAG) program, which provides local drug task forces with the tools they need to protect communities from illegal drugs and help clean up those communities that have been affected by illegal drugs.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

http://markkennedy.house.gov/cgi-data/press/files/760.shtml