107th Congress

21ST Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act

P.L. 107-273 (H.R. 2215 and S. 304)

Impact of Public Law

P.L. 107-273, the 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act, reauthorizes many programs and agencies at the U.S. Department of Justice. P.L. 107-273 also contains a provision that amends Section 464N of the Public Health Service Act addressing drug abuse and addiction research.

The law provides that the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) may make grants or enter into cooperative agreements to expand the current and ongoing interdisciplinary research and clinical trials with treatment centers of the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network that relate to drug abuse and addiction, including related biomedical, behavioral, and social issues. Specifically, the law outlines that the grants or cooperative agreements may be used for research and clinical trials relating to 1) the effects of drug abuse on the human body, including the brain, 2) the addictive nature of drugs, and how it differs with respect to different individuals, 3) the connection between drug abuse and mental health, 4) the identification and evaluation of the most effective methods for preventing drug abuse and addiction, 5) the identification and development of the most effective methods for treating drug addiction, including pharmacological treatments, 6) the risk factors for drug abuse, 7) the effects of drug abuse and addiction on pregnant women and their fetuses, and 8) the cultural, social, behavioral, neurological, and psychological reasons that individuals abuse drugs or refrain from abusing drugs.

The law mandates that the Director of NIDA shall promptly disseminate research results to Federal, State, and local entities involved in combating drug abuse and addiction.

The law also requires NIDA to conduct a study of methamphetamine treatment.

Legislative History

On June 19, 2001, Representative F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced H.R. 2215. On July 23, H.R. 2215 passed the House under Suspension of the Rules and was subsequently referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. After a markup on October 18, H.R. 2215 was amended in the nature of a substitute and was reported to the full Senate on October 30.

The full Senate considered the measure on December 20, 2001, and agreed to Committee amendments from Senator Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The full Senate passed H.R. 2215 on December 20 as amended with a motion to disagree to House amendments and request a conference. Senate conferees were chosen.

During the conference, the House identified numerous bills with provisions similar to H.R. 2215. Provisions from several bills were incorporated into H.R. 2215 at the conference level, including S. 304, the Drug Abuse Education, Prevention, and Treatment Act of 2001. S. 304 had been introduced on February 13, 2001, by Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT), and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Committee held a hearing on S. 304 on March 14, at which Dr. Alan Leshner, former Director of NIDA, testified. (For more information on S. 304, see the article entitled "Drug Abuse Education, Prevention, and Treatment Act of 2001.")

On January 23, 2002, H.R. 2215 was returned to the House from the Senate with Senate amendments. On February 6, the House passed a motion to disagree with the Senate-amended version of H.R. 2215 and agree to a conference. House conferees were chosen. On May 1, the House passed a motion to instruct the House conferees. Both the House and Senate passed versions of H.R. 2215 containing the National Institutes of Health-related provisions. House and Senate conferees met and resolved their differences. On September 26, the House passed the conference report, and on October 3, the Senate agreed to the conference report by unanimous consent. On November 2, the President signed the measure as P.L. 107-273.