Drug-Related Laws That Congress Enacted in 1995-1996
(from Winter 1996-97 Marijuana Policy Report)
Approximately 10,000 bills and resolutions are introduced in the House and Senate during each two-year Congress. The vast majority of bills are never even debated. In the 1995-1996 Congress, more than 300 laws were enacted. Only a small number of these laws involved drug policy to any degree, and those are listed below. In most of them, the small drug provision was tucked into a bill dozens ' sometimes hundreds ' of pages long. Significantly, none of the laws focused on marijuana ' consequently, federal marijuana laws were only changed to the extent that drug laws in general were changed.
| Public Law # |
Bill # |
Became Law |
|
|
| |
| 104-59 |
S. 440 |
11/28/95 |
| "National Highway System Designation Act of 1995" amended the drug testing laws that apply to mass transit workers. |
|
| 104-66 |
S. 790 |
12/21/95 |
| "Federal Reports Elimination and Sunset Act of 1995" eliminated the requirement that DOJ publish reports on the drug interdiction task force, and also amended portions of the international narcotics control laws that apply to DOS. |
|
| 104-93 |
H.R. 1655 |
1/6/96 |
| Authorized the funding for intelligence activities of drug-related agencies for Fiscal Year 1996. |
|
| 104-106 |
S. 1124 |
2/10/96 |
| Authorized funding for DOD for Fiscal Year 1996. |
|
| 104-120 |
S. 1494 |
3/28/96 |
| "Housing Opportunity Program Extension Act of 1996" changed the law regarding the eligibility of drug offenders to qualify for public housing administered by HUD. |
|
| 104-121 |
H.R. 3136 |
3/29/96 |
| Requires the removal of beneficiaries whose primary disability is addiction from the payment rolls of the Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance programs. |
|
| 104-132 |
S. 735 |
4/24/96 |
| "Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996" authorized additional funding for the DEA to spend fighting terrorism. |
|
| 104-164 |
H.R. 3121 |
7/21/96 |
| Amended the law governing international narcotics control assistance. |
|
| 104-168 |
H.R. 2337 |
7/30/96 |
| "Taxpayer Bill of Rights 2" provided the IRS with a five-year extension of authority to conduct undercover operations. |
|
| 104-191 |
H.R. 3103 |
8/21/96 |
| "Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996" contained a provision dealing with individuals convicted of drug offenses. |
|
| 104-193 |
H.R. 3734 |
8/22/96 |
| "Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996" -- the welfare reform bill -- made certain drug offenders ineligible for benefits. |
|
| 104-201 |
H.R. 3230 |
9/23/96 |
| Authorized funding for DOD for Fiscal Year 1997. |
|
| 104-272 |
H.R. 4167 |
10/9/96 |
| "Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996" enacted drug testing regulations for professional boxers. |
|
| 104-293 |
H.R. 3259 |
10/11/96 |
| Authorized the funding for intelligence activities of drug-related agencies for Fiscal Year 1997. |
|
Appropriations Laws
The entire federal government is funded by 13 annual appropriations bills which Congress must pass and the president must sign by October 1 of each year. When Congress and the president fail to enact an appropriations bill by the October 1 deadline, many of the federal agencies that are funded by that bill must temporarily shut down due to lack of funding. (The funding cycle for Fiscal Year 1997 began on October 1, 1996.)
DOJ, DOD, and HHS are the three cabinet-level departments primarily responsible for maintaining the federal war on marijuana users. Additionally, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), headed up by the "drug czar," is the office responsible for coordinating the activities of all federal agencies involved in the drug war. Hence, the MPP pays particular attention to the four appropriations bills that provide the annual funding for these three departments and one agency. These appropriations bills and others are summarized below.
| Public Law # |
Bill # |
Became Law |
|
| Fiscal Year 1995 |
|
| 104-19 |
H.R. 1944 |
7/27/95 |
| Retroactively reduced the funding that had previously been given to HHS and other agencies for Fiscal Year 1995. |
|
| Fiscal Year 1996 |
|
| 104-52 |
H.R. 2020 |
11/19/95 |
| Provided funding for DT, ONDCP, and other agencies. |
|
| 104-53 |
H.R. 2492 |
11/19/95 |
| Provided funding for the Legislative Branch -- including the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control. |
|
| 104-61 |
H.R. 2126 |
12/1/95 |
| Provided funding for DOD. |
|
| 104-107 |
H.R. 1868 |
2/12/96 |
| Provided funding for foreign operations (includes the certification and decertification of certain countries). |
|
| 104-134 |
H.R. 3019 |
4/26/96 |
| Omnibus appropriations package which provided funding for HHS, DOJ, DOS, Veterans Affairs, and HUD. |
|
| Fiscal Year 1997 |
|
| 104-197 |
H.R. 3754 |
9/16/96 |
| Provided funding for the Legislative Branch -- including the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control. |
|
| 104-208 |
H.R. 3610 |
9/30/96 |
| Omnibus appropriations package which provided funding for foreign operations, DT, ONDCP, DOD, HHS, DOJ, and DOS. |
Other
These three laws involved specific drugs — not drugs in general — and therefore do not affect marijuana policy:
| Public Law # |
Bill # |
Became Law |
|
| 104-38 |
S. 1254 |
10/30/95 |
| Rejected the U.S. Sentencing Commission's amendment to the federal sentencing guidelines relating to the equalization of crack and powder cocaine penalties. |
|
| 104-237 |
S. 1965 |
10/3/96 |
| Increased the federal penalties for methamphetamine offenses. |
|
| 104-305 |
H.R. 4137 |
10/13/96 |
| "Drug-Induced Rape Prevention and Punishment Act of 1996" increased the penalties for misuse of Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol). |
Key
- DEA: Drug Enforcement Administration
- DOD: U.S. Department of Defense
- DOJ: U.S. Department of Justice
- DOS: U.S. Department of State
- DT: U.S. Department of the Treasury
- HHS: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- HUD: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- ONDCP: White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
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