Joseph T. Burns: “I rise today because, despite the heroic efforts of law enforcement agencies in Montana and elsewhere around the…”

“I rise today because, despite the heroic efforts of law enforcement agencies in Montana and elsewhere around the country, the use of methamphetamine continues to rise. In the Senate, we have passed legislation to fund efforts to go after domestic production of meth--from provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act, which restricted the sale of pseudoephedrine, to funds for the cleanup of meth labs. While law enforcement officials report that these efforts are in fact reducing the production of meth within our borders, they also tell me that foreign-produced meth is being imported to fill the supply void. For this reason, I have introduced the ``Methamphetamine Trafficking Prevention Act of 2006'' in order to bring additional Federal resources to bear on this problem. I want to thank my colleagues, Senate Majority Leader Frist, Senator DeWine, Senator Allard, Senator Coleman, Senator Allen and Senator Smith for joining me in sponsoring this legislation. The United States shares around 4,000 miles of border with Canada and almost 2,000 miles with Mexico. Controlling what comes across these borders must be a top priority for national security.…”