Pubdate: Wed, 19 Jul 2000
Source: Wired News (US Web)
Copyright: 2000 Wired Digital Inc.
Contact:  660 3rd Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94107
Website: www.wired.com
Author: Nicholas Morehead

DEMOCRATS HALT METH BILL

WASHINGTON -- House Democrats blocked a controversial drug-censorship bill 
from being approved by the Judiciary committee on Wednesday.

H.R. 2987, also known as the Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act of 
1999, was scheduled for a full-committee markup Wednesday but was postponed 
due to Democratic concerns over proposed amendments which came as a 
surprise to Democrats on the committee.

Rep. Robert Scott (D-Va.) chided Republicans on the committee, arguing that 
amendments proposed in a substitute bill Tuesday night by Rep. Bill 
McCollum (R-Fl.) significantly changed the bill and that more time was 
necessary to review them.

The amendments in question proposed mandatory minimums for those found in 
violation of the act and included Ecstasy and similar narcotics in a "Club 
Drug Proliferation" section.

"This is a deplorable process. In effect, we've been sandbagged on this 
bill," Scott said. "We certainly have the right to know what we're marking 
up. I feel it unfortunate that the majority has chosen to act this way."

The bill, supported by law enforcement but opposed by civil liberty and 
anti-drug-war groups, was already under scrutiny for its potential 
infringements on certain constitutional rights. The bill as it is written 
would make it a crime to link to illegal drug-related websites and also 
give police the power to enter homes to do secret searches.

One portion of the bill would make it a crime "to teach or demonstrate the 
manufacture of a controlled substance." Another section would allow police 
to surreptitiously enter someone's house with a warrant without telling 
them about it -- a notification that currently is required by law.

"You have all sorts of First Amendment problems with that," Marv Johnson, 
legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, told Wired News 
in May, when the House bill was first being debated.

"Nobody knows what part is going to get you in trouble. If you teach 
someone how to use a Bunsen burner, is this sufficient to get you indicted? 
Nobody really knows," Johnson said.

Proponents of the methamphetamine bill -- the Senate has already 
unanimously approved a similar measure -- said it's necessary to shut meth 
labs and combat the illegal drug market.

Since the House version, sponsored by Representative Chris Cannon and 19 
other members of Congress, is different from the Senate bill, a conference 
committee would be necessary to reconcile the two pieces of legislation.

To avoid that possibility, some House Judiciary Committee members are 
considering replacing Cannon's bill with the Senate legislation.

The Committee plans to readdress the bill on Tuesday.
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