Gordon Votes To Help Children Endangered By Meth

September 25, 2007, WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon voted Monday (Sept. 24) for legislation that will help transition children into safe residential environments if they are endangered because of a parent’s addiction to methamphetamine or other drugs.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Drug Endangered Children Act, which would authorize the Department of Justice to award grants designed to improve coordination among law enforcement, prosecutors, children protection services, social service agencies and health care providers to help transition drug endangered children into safe residential environments.

“Children of drug-addicted parents often endure neglect and abuse when the addiction overrides the parental instincts,” said Gordon. “Meth addiction can be especially dangerous for children. If parents are cooking meth in their homes or cars, they are exposing their children to toxic residues. Their children also could be in grave danger if that meth lab exploded.”

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, children are found at 20 percent of all meth lab seizures. Last year in Tennessee, about 150 children were placed into state custody because of meth, according to the state’s Department of Children’s Services.

Gordon has been a leader in congressional efforts to curb the nation’s meth abuse problems.
Earlier this year, the U.S. House of Representatives approved his Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act. The bill requires a study to determine the long-term health impacts of meth exposure on first responders and on children rescued from meth labs.

Gordon’s legislation would require the Environmental Protection Agency to develop model, voluntary, health-based clean-up guidelines to ensure former meth lab sites are safe and livable.

“The number of mom-and-pop meth labs in Tennessee is decreasing, but that doesn’t mean the problem has gone away,” said Gordon. “Every pound of cooked meth also produces five to six pounds of toxic residue that can coat the floors, walls and furniture. We have to ensure local officials have the resources they need to properly clean these sites before an unsuspecting family moves in.”