On the recordMay 21, 1998
Today the House will cast the key vote on the war on drugs. The House will vote to either maintain the status quo and do nothing, or begin to fight. Some of the misconceptions and untruths about the Traficant amendment: It will not mandate the use of troops; it will only allow it if the administration requests it, and if so, they must be specially trained, and they can only be deployed with civilian officers, and they cannot make arrests; local officials must be notified. The substitute kills it. The substitute says, surveillance in intelligence only. I say to my colleagues, neighborhood crime watches perform surveillance. We will never win the war on drugs with a neighborhood crime watch. Defeat the substitute. Give the Traficant amendment an opportunity for an up/down vote.
Source
govinfo.gov
