[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 15] [House] [Pages 23263-23265] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]NORTHERN BORDER COUNTERNARCOTICS STRATEGY ACT OF 2010 Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 4748) to amend the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006 to require a northern border counternarcotics strategy, and for other purposes. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the Senate amendment is as follows: Senate amendment: Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act of 2010''. SEC. 2. NORTHERN BORDER COUNTERNARCOTICS STRATEGY. The Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-469; 120 Stat. 3502) is amended by inserting after section 1110 the following: ``SEC. 1110A. REQUIREMENT FOR NORTHERN BORDER COUNTERNARCOTICS STRATEGY. ``(a) Definitions.--In this section, the terms `appropriate congressional committees', `Director', and `National Drug Control Program agency' have the meanings given those terms in section 702 of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 1998 (21 U.S.C. 1701). ``(b) Strategy.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this section, and every 2 years thereafter, the Director, in consultation with the head of each relevant National Drug Control Program agency and relevant officials of States, local governments, tribal governments, and the governments of other countries, shall develop a Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy and submit the strategy to-- ``(1) the appropriate congressional committees (including the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives); ``(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and the Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate; and ``(3) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Homeland Security, and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives. ``(c) Purposes.--The Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy shall-- ``(1) set forth the strategy of the Federal Government for preventing the illegal trafficking of drugs across the international border between the United States and Canada, including through ports of entry and between ports of entry on the border; ``(2) state the specific roles and responsibilities of each relevant National Drug Control Program agency for implementing the strategy; ``(3) identify the specific resources required to enable the relevant National Drug Control Program agencies to implement the strategy; and ``(4) reflect the unique nature of small communities along the international border between the United States and Canada, ongoing cooperation and coordination with Canadian law enforcement authorities, and variations in the volumes of vehicles and pedestrians crossing through ports of entry along the international border between the United States and Canada. ``(d) Specific Content Related to Cross-border Indian Reservations.--The Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy shall include-- ``(1) a strategy to end the illegal trafficking of drugs to or through Indian reservations on or near the international border between the United States and Canada; and ``(2) recommendations for additional assistance, if any, needed by tribal law enforcement agencies relating to the strategy, including an evaluation of Federal technical and financial assistance, infrastructure capacity building, and interoperability deficiencies. ``(e) Limitation.-- ``(1) In general.--The Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy shall not change the exiting agency authorities and this section shall not be construed to amend or modify any law governing interagency relationships. ``(2) Legitimate trade and travel.--The Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy shall be designed to promote, and not hinder, legitimate trade and travel. ``(f) Treatment of Classified or Law Enforcement Sensitive Information.-- ``(1) In general.--The Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy shall be submitted in unclassified form and shall be available to the public. ``(2) Annex.--The Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy may include an annex containing any classified information or information the public disclosure of which, as determined by the Director or the head of any relevant National Drug Control Program agency, would be detrimental to the law enforcement or national security activities of any Federal, State, local, or tribal agency.''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia. General Leave Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia? There was no objection. Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 4748 amends the Office of National Drug Control [[Page 23264]] Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006 to require the Director of the National Drug Control Policy to submit to Congress a northern border counternarcotics strategy. The United States' northern border with Canada is the longest open border in the world, spanning 12 States and over 4,000 miles. The House initially passed this bill 5 months ago, recognizing the increased amount of drug trafficking and related criminal activity occurring near the Canadian border, including on Indian reservations in that area. To combat this development, H.R. 4748 requires the creation of a northern border counternarcotics strategy similar to what has been in place for our southwest border for several years. This will promote more effective consultation and coordination between Federal law enforcement agencies so that we can bring new force to our efforts to curb the flow of illegal drugs across the northern border and the crime it brings in its wake. In addition, H.R. 4748 gives Indian tribes with reservations on or near the Canadian border a consulting role in implementing the strategy on their reservations. This bill is the result of efforts by our colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Owens), whose district spans 250 miles of the border on land along the St. Lawrence River and on Lake Erie. The Homeland Security chairman, the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson), helped to shape the bill and bring it to the floor last summer. The Senate has now returned the bill with some modest, but helpful, refinements; and I urge my colleagues to support this revised version so that we can send it to the President. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. SMITH of Texas. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 4748, the Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act, requires the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, ONDCP, to develop a counternarcotics strategy for the U.S. Canadian border. The House passed this legislation last July. The Senate made several technical and conforming changes to the language and sent it back to the House for final consideration. Significant attention has been paid to drug trafficking along our southern border with Mexico, but the northern border with Canada is also a major transit point for high-potency marijuana, Ecstasy, and other illegal drugs. According to the 2010 National Drug Threat Assessment, Asian drug trafficking organizations produce the drug Ecstasy in Canada and then smuggle it across the northern border into the U.S. America's northern border is remote, heavily wooded and sparsely populated, ideal for smugglers seeking to move their product into the U.S. undetected. In 2006, Congress directed the ONDCP to prepare a counternarcotics strategy for our southwestern border. H.R. 4748 mirrors this strategy, but for our northern border. While we continue to address drug trafficking across our southern border, we must not lose sight of the ease with which our northern border can be exploited by dangerous drug smugglers. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Owens), who has been working hard on this particular bill. {time} 1200 Mr. OWENS. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Conyers and Chairman Thompson for their leadership and for bringing H.R. 4748 to the floor with the Senate amendment. Our northern border with Canada spans over 4,000 miles, the longest open border in the world. I am intimately familiar with the unique status of our shared border. My congressional district in Upstate New York includes 13 ports of entry and border crossings, and nearly 2,000 jobs depend on a stable trading relationship with our northern neighbor. We currently lack a unified approach to stopping the flow of drugs from the northern border. As the southern border has witnessed the spread of violence that has accompanied the increased drug trade, we must be proactive and vigilant in ensuring that our northern border remains safe and open for business. Organized criminal elements are increasingly exploiting the northern border to traffic narcotics, illicit cigarettes, firearms, and people. According to the 2010 National Drug Threat Assessment, the amount of ecstasy seized at or between northern border points of entry increased 594 percent from 2004 to 2009. In 2009, there were 1,100 drug-related arrests in New York's North Country. Just last week, the Franklin County Border Narcotics Task Force caught a Malone man believed to be headed downstate with 119 pounds of marijuana. The Narcotics Task Force, consisting of law enforcement officials from the Federal, State, and local level, stand to benefit greatly from this legislation. They will have the added advantage of increased cooperation and information sharing with their counterparts across the northern border. By enacting this important legislation into law, the Federal agency that is responsible for stopping illegal drugs from entering the U.S. will, for the first time, be mandated by Congress to create a comprehensive strategy to stop the flow of drugs across the northern border. By coordinating the efforts of Federal, State, and local officials responsible for the safety of our communities, the Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act will help ensure that law enforcement has the tools and information they need to keep the drug trade out of the northern border communities. This legislation also recognizes the important balance between allowing the flow of legitimate trade and travel across the border with Canada and stopping the flow of illegal narcotics. This new strategy will reflect the unique nature of the small communities that dot the northern border and recognize the need for continued cooperation and coordination with our counterparts in Canadian law enforcement. This legislation will ultimately make these communities safer, attracting new businesses and providing the long-term assurances of protection they need to grow and prosper. Upstate New York has benefited for decades from a robust business relationship with our Canadian neighbors, and any illegal activity that takes place over our borders threatens that relationship. The Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act starts the process of developing a new approach to combating the international drug trade along our shared border with Canada. It is a vital component to the economic development and safety of our communities along that border. I ask my colleagues for their support. Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, as an original cosponsor of H.R. 4748, I urge passage of this important homeland security bill so that it can be sent to the President for signature. H.R. 4748, as amended by the Senate, would require the Director of National Drug Control Policy, ONDCP, to work with Federal, state, local, and international law enforcement to develop a comprehensive plan to prevent drug trafficking across the Northern Border. The bill requires the strategy to include clear recommendations for better coordination and assistance for tribal law enforcement agencies. More often than not, when I hear someone lament about our ``broken borders,'' they are talking about the Southern Border. While certainly the high-profile drug cartel violence and human smuggling activities warrant significant attention, we must not overlook the fact that there are significant border security challenges to the north, as well. In recent years, a diverse array of traffickers ranging from outlaw motorcycle gangs to Canadian drug rings have exploited the long, sparsely populated and very wooded border to traffic in large quantities of marijuana, ecstasy, and methamphetamines. Surveillance of the border is particularly challenging since smugglers have a wide range of delivery options--from helicopter and other small craft to boat and float plane to cattle trucks and even snowmobiles. Representative Owens, with his firsthand perspective of conditions on the Northern Border, is to be commended for authoring this bill to ensure that the Federal government has a [[Page 23265]] unified approach to preventing the flow of drugs into the United States through this critical border--which spans about 4,000 miles. The bill is not only integral to border security, but is vital for economic development in New York's North Country and other communities in the 13 states along our border with Canada. Thousands of jobs in these areas depend on the swift movement of lawful commerce across the Northern Border; illicit activity along the border risks undermining this critical trading relationship. I congratulate Representative Owens, a valuable member on the Homeland Security Community, for his work on Northern Border security issues and--especially--his efforts in introducing a strategic approach to stemming the flow of illicit drugs across the U.S.-Canadian border. I urge passage of H.R. 4748. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) that the House suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 4748. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the Senate amendment was concurred in. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________