mr. speaker , i rise in support of the patriot act and , in particular , title vii of that report , the combat methamphetamine epidemic act of 2005 .  this is certainly the biggest , and last night we passed chairman boehlert and congressman gordon 's environmental meth bill , but this is the biggest comprehensive bill on meth that we have ever had in front of the united states congress , and it is important that we pass this .  i want to thank a number of people .  it is impossible to thank everybody who has been involved in this , but i would like to thank chairman sensenbrenner of the judiciary committee for his co-sponsorship and his willingness to put this in a conference report .  if we did not have this in a conference report , it would not see the light of day .  we have had the pharmaceutical companies attack this bill .  we have had the mexico and china lobbies attack this bill .  we have had the pro-drug groups attack the law enforcement provisions .  it would not go through the other body .  it is not even clear we can move it to another bill at this point .  yet , it is the only bill standing , and it is a bipartisan effort to try to address this scourge that is crossing the country .  i thank chairman sensenbrenner ; also majority leader roy blunt , who has been an early leader in this charge ; chairman barton of the energy and commerce committee for his willingness to have this i would also thank the several members who have worked so hard to make this comprehensive anti-meth legislation happen .  in particular , i would like to thank representatives mark kennedy , darlene hooley of oregon , dave reichert and john peterson , because they provided much of the content of this comprehensive bill and their consistently strong leadership on the house floor .  i would also like to thank the four co-chairmen of the congressional meth caucus , congressmen larsen , calvert , boswell and cannon , for their staffs ' assistance in putting this together so we could have a bipartisan effort .  congressman tom osborne has crusaded on this house floor and across the country on behalf of anti-meth legislation , as has congressmen baird , wamp , boozman , king , gordon and so many others .  this would not be happening today if we did not have this bipartisan coalition , and i hope it becomes law .  mr. speaker , i rise in support of the conference report to h.r. 3199 , the usa patriot and terrorism prevention reauthorization act of 2005 , and in particular of title vii of that report , the combat methamphetamine epidemic act of 2005 .  i believe this bipartisan legislation is a vital first step in our renewed fight against the scourge of methamphetamine trafficking and abuse , and i hope the house will support its passage .  i would probably take an hour if i tried to thank each of the members and staff who helped with this legislation , so i will have to mention only a few .  first , i 'd very much like to thank chairman sensenbrenner of the judiciary committee for his cosponsorship of the methamphetamine epidemic elimination act , h.r. 3889 , one of the two bills that was incorporated into today 's legislation , and for his leadership in ensuring that anti-meth legislation would be added to the conference report .  i would also like to thank majority leader roy blunt , chairman barton of the energy and commerce committee , chairman hyde of the international relations committee , chairman young of the transportation and infrastructure committee , chairman i would also like to thank several members who worked so hard to make comprehensive anti-meth legislation happen .  in particular , i 'd like to thank representative mark kennedy , representative darlene hooley , representative dave reichert , and representative john peterson for providing much of the content of this bill , and for their consistently strong leadership on the house floor on meth issues .  i would also like to thank the four co-chairmen of the congressional meth caucus , representative rick larsen , representative ken calvert , representative leonard boswell , and representative chris cannon , for their and their staffs ' assistance and support .  and to every other member who has cosponsored either h.r. 3889 , or the other major bill incorporated in this conference report , the combat meth act of 2005 , h.r. 314 , i express my deep appreciation .  i do n't have to tell any of you how serious a threat meth is for our communities ; pick up almost any newspaper or magazine these days and you can read about it firsthand .  as chairman of the government reform committee 's subcommittee on criminal justice , drug policy and human resources , i have held 11 hearings on the meth epidemic since 2001 , not only in washington , dc , but in places as diverse as rural arkansas , ohio , oregon , and indiana , suburban minnesota , island of hawaii , and urban detroit .  there are regional and local variations on the problem , of course , but one thing remains constant everywhere : this is a drug almost unique in its combination of cheapness , ease of manufacture , and devastating impact on the user and his or her community .  there are three aspects of the meth epidemic that i believe need to be emphasized as congress prepares to enact this legislation .  first , meth presents unique challenges to federal , state , and local law enforcement .  the small , clandestine meth labs that have spread like wildfire across our nation produce toxic chemical byproducts that endanger officers ' lives , tie up law enforcement resources for hours or even days , and cost tremendous amounts of money to clean up .  that , combined with the rise in criminal behavior , child and citizen endangerment , and other effects , have made meth the number one drug problem for the nation 's local law enforcement agencies , according to a study released over the summer by the national association of counties .  second , the damage this drug causes is not confined to the addict alone ; it has terrible effects on everyone around the user , particularly children .  another survey by the national association of counties found that 40 percent of child welfare agencies reported an increase in `` out of home placements because of meth in the past year. '' this abuse unfortunately includes physical and mental trauma , and even sexual abuse .  sixty-nine percent of county social service agencies have indicated that they have had to provide additional , specialized training for their welfare system workers and have had to develop new and special protocols for workers to address the special needs of the children affected by methamphetamine .  community health and human services , as well as child welfare services such as foster-care , are being overwhelmed as a result of meth .  finally , the meth threat is not confined to the small , local labs , but extends well beyond our borders to the `` super labs '' controlled by large , sophisticated mexican drug trafficking organizations , and the international trade in pseudoephedrine and other precursor chemicals fueling those super labs .  three-quarters or more of our nation 's meth supply is controlled by those large organizations , and over half of our meth comes directly from mexico .  the combat methamphetamine epidemic act will be the first legislation enacted by congress that addresses all three of these critical aspects .  previous acts of congress have addressed meth production and precursor chemical diversion , while others have provided assistance to state and local agencies ; for the first time , however , we are tackling domestic and international chemical diversion , assistance to state and local agencies , child and family welfare issues , and the criminal production of meth .  the conference committee has filed a detailed section-by-section analysis of the legislation , so i will only briefly mention the highlights of this bill .  among other things , the act would : require all pseudoephedrine , ephedrine , and phenylpropanolamine products to be stored behind the counter or in a locked cabinet ; impose a daily and a monthly purchase limit ; require purchasers to show i.d .  and sign a logbook ; and require training of all employees handling the products ; close a number of loopholes in existing import , export , and wholesale regulations of meth precursor chemicals , including import and manufacturing quotas to ensure no oversupply leads to diversion ; and regulation of the wholesale `` spot market '' ; require reporting of major meth precursor exporters and importers , and would hold them accountable for their efforts to prevent diversion to meth production ; toughen federal penalties against meth traffickers and smugglers ; authorize the `` meth hot spots '' program , as well as increase funding for drug courts , drug endangered children programs , and programs to assist pregnant women addicted to meth .  each of these steps is vital to our success in the fight against meth , and i hope that the house will support them .  mr. speaker , this bill was a true compromise -- both between the two parties , and between this house and the other body .  of all the many members of congress who worked on this legislation , no one got everything he or she wanted .  but what we did get was an excellent bill that will re-energize our fight against methamphetamine .  every one of us , republican or democrat , urban or rural , has a stake in the outcome of that fight .  we have to stop the meth epidemic from spreading , and we need to start rolling it back .  i believe that this legislation will be an important step in that process , and i urge my colleagues to vote for its passage .  