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That 1996 Act provided crucial tools that we needed to stay ahead of the methamphetamine epidemic--increased penalties for possessing and trafficking in methamphetamine and the precursor

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   I have no doubt that our 1996 legislation slowed this epidemic significantly. But we are up against a powerful and highly addictive drug.

   The Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act--which I have cosponsored--builds on the 1996 Act. First and foremost, it closes the ``amphetamine loophole'' in current law by making the penalties for manufacturing, distributing, importing and exporting amphetamine the same as those for meth. After all, the two drugs differ by only one chemical and are sold interchangeably on the street. If users can't tell the difference between the two substances, there is no reason why the penalties should be different.

   The bill also addresses the growing problem of meth labs by establishing penalties for manufacturing the drug with an enhanced penalty for those who would put a child's life at risk in the process. We provide $20 million for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to reimburse states for cleaning up toxic meth labs and $5.5 million for the DEA to certify state and local officials to handle the hazardous byproducts at the lab sites. We also provide $15 million for additional law enforcement personnel--including agents, investigators, prosecutors, lab technicians, chemists, investigative assistants and drug prevention specialists--in High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas where meth is a problem.

   Also included in the bill is $6.5 million for new agents to assist State and local law enforcement in small and mid-sized communities in all phases of drug investigations and assist state and local law enforcement in rural areas. The bill also provides $3 million to monitor List I chemicals, including those used in manufacturing methamphetamine, and prevent their diversion to illicit use.

   Further, the legislation provides $10 million in prevention funds and $10 million for treating methamphetamine addiction, as well as much needed money for researching new treatment modalities, including clinical trials. It asks the Institute of Medicine to issue a report on the status of the

   development of pharmacotherapies for treatment of amphetamine and methamphetamine addiction, such as the good work that the scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse have done to isolate amino acids and develop medications to deal with meth overdose and addiction.

   The Children's Health Act also includes the ``Ecstasy Anti-Proliferation Act,'' a bill which Senators GRAHAM, GRASSLEY and THOMAS and I introduced in May to address the new drug on the scene--Ecstasy, a synthetic stimulant and hallucinogen. The legislation takes the steps--both in terms of law enforcement and prevention--to address this problem in a serious way before it gets any worse.

   Ecstasy belongs to a group of drugs referred to as ``club drugs'' because they are associated with all-night dance parties known as ``raves.'' There is a widespread misconception that it is not a dangerous drug--that it is ``no big deal.'' I believe that Ecstasy is a very big deal. The drug depletes the brain of serotonin, the chemical responsible for mood, thought, and memory.

   If that isn't a big deal, I don't know what is.

   A few months ago we got a significant warning sign that Ecstasy use is becoming a real problem. The University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future survey, a national survey measuring drug use among students, reported that while overall levels of drug use had not increased, past month use of Ecstasy among high school seniors increased more than 66 percent.

   The survey showed that nearly six percent of high school seniors have used Ecstasy in the past year. This may sound like a small number, but put in perspective it is deeply alarming--it is five times the number of seniors who used heroin and it is just slightly less than the percentage of seniors who used cocaine.

   And with the supply of Ecstasy increasing as rapidly as it is, the number of kids using this drug is only likely to increase. So far this year, the Customs Service has already seized 9 million Ecstasy pills--three times the total amount seized in all of 1999 and twelve times the amount seized in all of 1998.

   Though New York is the East Coast hub for this drug, it is spreading quickly throughout the country. In my home state of Delaware, law enforcement officials have seized Ecstasy pills in Rehoboth Beach and are noticing the emergence of an Ecstasy problem in Newark among students at the University of Delaware.

   The legislation directs the United States Sentencing Commission to increase the recommended penalties for manufacturing, importing, exporting or trafficking Ecstasy.

   The legislation also authorizes a $10 million prevention campaign in schools and communities to make sure that everyone--kids, adults, parents, teachers, cops, coaches, clergy, etc.--know just how dangerous this drug really is. We need to dispel the myth that Ecstasy is not a dangerous drug because, as I stated earlier, this is a substance that can cause brain damage and can even result in death. We need to spread the message so that kids know the risk involved with taking Ecstasy, what it can do to their bodies, their brains, their futures. Adults also need to be taught about this drug--what it looks like, what someone high on Ecstasy looks like, and what to do if they discover that someone they know is using it.

   Mr. President, I have come to the floor of the United States Senate on numerous occasions to state what I view as the most effective way to prevent a drug epidemic. My philosophy is simple: the best time to crack down on a drug with uncompromising enforcement pressure is before the abuse of the drug has become rampant. The advantages of doing so are clear--there are fewer pushers trafficking in the drug and, most important, fewer lives and fewer families will have suffered from the abuse of the drug.

   It is clear that Ecstasy use is on the rise and I am pleased that the Senate has acted today to address the escalating problem of this drug before it gets any worse.

   In addition to stopping the proliferation of new drugs, we also need to invest in treating those who are already addicted. More than ten years ago, in December 1989, I released a Senate Judiciary Committee Report entitled ``Pharmacotherapy: A Strategy for the 1990s.'' In this report I argued that there was scientific promise for medicines that might lessen an addict's craving for cocaine and heroin, as well as to reduce their enjoyment of those drugs.

   This report asked the question: ``If drug abuse is an epidemic, are we doing enough to find a medical `cur e'?''

   At the time, despite the efforts of myself and other members of Congress, the answer to that question was as clear as it was distressing: the nation was doing far too little to find medicines that treat the disease of drug addiction.

   To address this shortfall, I authored, along with Senator KENNEDY, the Pharmacotherapy Development Act--which passed into law in 1992. The cornerstone of this Act was its call for a ten year, $1 billion effort to research and develop anti-addiction medications.

   I cannot think of a more worthwhile investment. There is no other disease that effects so many, directly and indirectly. We have 14 million drug users in this country, four million of whom are hard-core addicts. We all have a family member, neighbor, colleague or friend who has become addicted. We are all impacted by the undeniable correlation between drugs and crime--an overwhelming 80 percent of the men and women behind bars today have a history of drug and alcohol abuse or addiction or were arrested for a drug-related crime. It only makes sense to unleash the full powers of medical scie nce to find a ``cure'' for this social and human ill.

   Ten years ago, the question was: ``Are we doing enough to find a `cure'?''

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   That is why I have worked with Senators HATCH, LEVIN and MOYNIHAN and Representative BILEY to craft the ``Drug Addiction Treatment Act,'' a bill which creates a new system for delivering anti-addiction medications to patients who need them. Under the bill qualified doctors can be granted a waiver to prescribe certain Schedule III, IV and V medications from their offices. This is a significant step toward bridging the treatment gap.

   Right now we have some highly effective pharmacotherapies to treat heroin addiction and we are still working on developing similar medications for cocaine addiction. Access to currently available medications such as methadone and LAAM (Levo-Alpha Acetylmethadol) has been strangled by layers of bureaucracy and regulation. As a result, only 22 percent of opiate addicts are now receiving pharmacotherapy treatment. General McCaffrey and Secretary Shalala are leading the charge to fix that problem and I applaud their efforts.

   Under the legislation passed today, patients will be able to get new medications such a buprenorphine and a buprenorphine-naloxone combination product--which are now under review by the Food and Drug Administration--much like they can get other medications: a doctor prescribes them and the patient can get the medication from the local pharmacy. This new system helps to move drug treatment into the mainstream of medicine.

   The difficulties of distributing treatment medications to addicts not only hurts those who are not getting the treatment they need, but it also stifles private research. I have often bemoaned the fact that private industry has not aggressively developed pharmacotherapies. As we increase access to these drugs, we increase incentives for private investment in this valuable research.

   I am proud that the Senate has acted today to pass ``The Drug Addiction Treatment Act'' because it helps get new, promising anti-addiction medications get to those who need them. By allowing certain doctors to dispense Schedule III, IV and V drugs from their offices, the bill expands treatment flexibility and access and encourages others to develop similar medications.

   Mr. President, in passing the Children's Health Act today, the Senate has taken an important step to addressing the problem of substance abuse and all of the social ills that go along with it. I congratulate all of my colleagues who have worked on this legislation which will make an important contribution to public health and public safety in this country.

   Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I rise today as a co-author of the ``Children's Health Act of 2000.'' This bill is essential in enabling us to build a health care system that is responsive to the unique needs of children. The ``Children's Health Act of 2000'' is a big step in the right direction, and I commend my colleagues, Senators FRIST, JEFFORDS, and KENNEDY for their efforts to construct a bill that can really make a positive difference in the health and the lives of children.

   Mr. President, I am especially pleased that the ``Children's Health Act'' contains several important initiatives that my colleagues and I had introduced already as separate bills. One such initiative--the Pediatric Research Initiative--would help ensure that more of the increased research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is invested specifically in children's health research.

   While children represent close to 30 percent of the population of this country, NIH devotes only about 12 percent of its budget to children, and, in recent years, that proportion has been declining even further. We must reverse this disturbing trend. It simply makes no sense to conduct health research for adults and hope that those findings also will apply to children. A ``one size fits all'' research approach just doesn't work. The fact is that children have medical cond itions and health care needs that differ significantly from adults. Children's health deserves more attention from the research community. That's why the Pediatric Research Initiative is such an important part of the ``Children's Health Act.'' It would provide the federal support for pediatric research that is so vital to ensuring that children receive the appropriate and best health care possible.

   The Pediatric Research Initiative would authorize at least $50 million for each of the next five years for the Office of the Director of the National Institute of Health (NIH) to conduct, coordinate, support, develop, and recognize pediatric research. In doing so, we will be able to ensure researchers target and study child-specific diseases. With more than 20 Institutes and Centers and Offices within NIH that conduct, support, or develop pediatric research in some way, this investment would promote greater coordination and focus in children's health research, and hopefully encourage new initiatives and areas of research.

   The ``Children's Health Act'' also would authorize the Secretary of HHS to establish a pediatric research loan repayment program for qualified health professionals who conduct pediatric research. Trained researchers are essential if we are to make significant advances in the study of pediatric health care, especially in light of the new and improved Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policies that encourage the testing of medications for use by children.

   Additionally, the ``Children's Health Act'' includes the ``Children's Asthma Relief Act,'' which Senator DURBIN and I introduced last year. The sad reality for children is that asthma is becoming a far too common and chronic childhood illness. From 1979 to 1992, the hospitalization rates among children due to asthma increased 74 percent. Today, estimates show that more than seven percent of children now suffer from asthma. Nationwide, the most substantial prevalence rate increase for asthma occurred among children aged four and younger. Those four and younger also were hospitalized at the highest rate among all individuals with asthma.

   According to 1998 data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), my home state of Ohio ranks about 17th in the estimated prevalence rates for asthma. Based on a 1994 CDC National Health Interview Survey, an estimated 197,226 children under 18 years of age in Ohio suffer from asthma. We need to address this problem adequately. The ``Children's Health Act'' would help do that by ensuring that children with asthma receive the care they need to lead healthy lives. The bill would authorize funding for fiscal years 2001 through 2005 for the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish state and local community grants to be used for asthma detection, treatment, and education serv ices; require coordination with current children's health programs to identify children who are asthmatic and may otherwise remain undetected and untreated; require NIH to direct more resources to its National Asthma Education Prev ention Program to develop a federal plan for responding to asthma; and require the Center for Disease Control to conduct local asthma surveillance activities to collect data on the prevalence and severity of asthma. This surveillance data will help us better detect asthmatic conditions, so that we can treat more children and ensure that we are targeting our resources in an effective and efficient way to reverse the disturbing trend in the hospitalization and death rates of asthmatic children.

   Since research shows that children living in urban areas suffer from asthma at such alarming rates and that allergens, such as cockroach waste, contribute to the onset of asthma, this bill also adds urban cockroach management to the current preventive health services block grant, which currently can be used for rodent control.

   The ``Children's Health Act'' also includes a bill I introduced separately with Senator DODD. This section would require that the Secretary of HHS ensure that all research that is conducted, supported, or regulated by HHS complies with regulations governing the protection of children involved in research. Children who participate in clinical trials are medical pion eers. It is just common sense that we update and apply the strongest federal guidelines to ensure the safety of these young people as they participate in clinical trials that will ensure that

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   Finally, Mr. President, the ``Children's Health Act'' includes language that I strongly support to re-authorize funding for children's hospitals' Graduate Medi cal Educ ation (GME ) programs for four additional years. Last year, as part of the ``Health Care Research and Quality Act,'' which was signed into law, we authorized funding for two years for children's hospitals' GME programs. The teaching mission of these hospitals is essential. Children's hospitals comprise less than one percent of all hospitals, yet they train five percent of all physicians, nearly 30 percent of all pediatricians, and almost 50 percent of all pediatric specialists. By providing our nation with highly qualified pediatricians, children's hospitals can offer children the best possible care and offer parents peace of mind. They serve as the health care safety net for low-income children in their respective communities and are often the sole regional providers of many critical pediatric services. These institutions also serve as centers of excellence for very sick children across the nation. Federal funding for GME in children's hospitals is a sound investment in children's health and provides stability for the future of the pediatric workforce.

   Mr. President, as the father of eight children and the grandfather of five, I firmly believe that we must move forward to protect the interests--and especially the health--of all children. The ``Children's Health Act of 2000'' makes crucial investments in our country's future--investments that will yield great returns. If we focus on improving health care for all children today, we will have a generation of healthy adults tomorrow.

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