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II. Executive Summary
Other Initiatives
In addition to funding identified, other federal initiatives enacted into law, or currently being contemplated, could affect resources available for national drug-control activities over the five-year budget planning period. Such programs include:
- Southwest Border Infrastructure -- Advances in technology over the past several years are increasingly making it possible to improve the flow of licit goods and people across our national borders while screening out illicit goods -- especially narcotics. As a result, the President has asked ONDCP to look at how to take advantage of these new, non-intrusive technologies as part of an overall plan to improve commercial and passenger traffic on the Southwest Border, while achieving our national security goals. As part of the Administration's proposal for reauthorization of the Intermodal Surface Transportation and Efficiency Act (ISTEA), resources will be identified under this legislation to improve technology and infrastructure.
- Welfare to Work -- Over the next three years, the Department of Labor will award $3 billion for Welfare to Work grants to states and local communities to help welfare recipients enter the workforce. These resources will be directed to long-term welfare recipients facing specific barriers to employment, including those who need treatment for a substance abuse problem. At this point, ONDCP and the Department of Labor have not estimated the number of participants that will be served by these grants for substance abuse treatment. These data are expected by June 1998.
- Substance Abuse and Child Protection Services -- As part of the Adoption and Safe Families Act enacted in 1997, the Secretary of Health and Human Services is required to prepare a report to Congress which describes the extent and scope of the problem of substance abuse in the child welfare population, the types of services provided to these children, and the outcomes from the provision of these services. The report is also to include recommendations for any legislation that may be needed to improve the coordination in providing these services to children at risk.
- Drug Testing & Treatment in the Criminal Justice System -- More than half of the offenders in our criminal justice system are estimated to have a substance abuse problem. Promoting coerced abstinence within the criminal justice system is critical to breaking the cycle of crime and drugs. To address the drug abuse problem and reduce the rate of recidivism within the criminal justice system, the Administration will propose legislation to give states the flexibility to use their federal prison construction and substance abuse treatment funds for the full range of drug testing, sanctions, and treatment for offenders. The resources associated with this effort are not yet known. It is anticipated that several states would, if allowed, use prison construction funds for criminal justice drug testing and treatment programs. The long-term benefits associated with this effort would reduce the requirement for new prison construction by reducing drug use and its related criminal activities.
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