FEINGOLD WORKS TO HELP NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES BATTLE METH April 26, 2006 Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is working to ensure that Native American tribes have access to federal grant programs that provide resources for the fight against methamphetamine addiction. Feingold is cosponsoring the Native American Methamphetamine Enforcement and Treatment Act, introduced by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), which would amend current law to make clear that Native American tribes are eligible for grant programs that improve local enforcement, prevention and environmental clean-up efforts related to meth, protect drug-endangered children, and address meth use by pregnant women and mothers. “Meth plagues our communities and endangers our children, especially in rural and underserved areas of Wisconsin,” Feingold said. “We must ensure that all Wisconsin communities, including Native American tribes, have access to vital programs that seek to prevent the spread of the terrible effects of meth.” Meth use is particularly devastating in Native American communities across the country. Poor economic conditions, geographic isolation, and a lack of treatment facilities are among the factors that contribute to the use of meth in these areas. Ensuring that tribes are eligible to receive these grants would be an important step towards increasing health services and law enforcement services for Wisconsin’s Native American tribes. “I was a strong supporter of the Combat Meth Act which is helping communities fight back against the dangers of meth,” Feingold said. “Now we need to make sure the good grant programs authorized by the Combat Meth Act are available to Native American communities as well.”

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