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to the Missouri House of RepresentativesWhereas, effective March 15, 2000, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will no longer provide funding to states for the cleanup of clandestine drug laboratories; and
Whereas, in 1999, the Missouri State Highway Patrol conducted 757 clandestine drug laboratory investigations with a total of 615 drug labs seized; and
Whereas, the cost of cleaning up a clandestine drug laboratory can easily reach into the thousands of dollars; and
Whereas, if the DEA does not cover the cost of cleaning up these laboratories, many state and local law enforcement agency budgets will be severely strained by the additional burden of covering the laboratory cleanup costs, with some agencies being forced to completely shut down their clandestine drug laboratory seizure operations due to the additional financial burden; and
Whereas, the safety of the citizens of the state of Missouri will be greatly impacted if clandestine drug laboratories are allowed to continue operations because state and local law enforcement agencies simply cannot afford to seize and clean up these laboratories:
Now, therefore, be it resolved that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninetieth General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby oppose the federal Drug Enforcement Administration's decision to cut off state funding to cover the cost of cleaning up clandestine drug laboratories; and
Be it further resolved that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution for William B. Simpkins, Assistant Administrator of the Operational Support Division of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
Offered by Representatives Cindy Ostmann, Bill Luetkenhaus, Jon Dolan, Jon Bennett, Rich Chrismer, Don Kissell and Chuck
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to the Missouri House of Representatives