Frank Riggs: “I support the provision that is in the bill that would prohibit Federal money from being spent on needle exchange…”

“I support the provision that is in the bill that would prohibit Federal money from being spent on needle exchange programs but believe we should go one step further and adopt the Tiahrt amendment because that would extend or broaden that provision to include District money, which after all is money that is subject to reappropriation by the Congress. I cannot believe that this body would seriously consider sanctioning legal needle exchange. I cannot believe that by inference we are willing to go on record as supporting illegal drug use, or drug abuse. I cannot believe that we would seriously consider a provision in the D.C. appropriations bill that would actually encourage addiction and chemical dependency. I am amazed that we can have this debate in the People's House and actually get off on these tangents where we buy into this sort of fuzzyheaded liberal thinking that to stand up and take a position on principle opposing these provisions somehow contradicts the Constitution or the notion of home rule for the District of Columbia.”