VILSACK PUSHES HARD FOR STRONG ANTI-METH LAWS

DES MOINES - Gov. Tom Vilsack made an impassioned plea Tuesday for
lawmakers to move forward with tough new anti-methamphetamine laws, arguing
that they would help protect Iowa children from a growing problem.

Healthcare workers listen to Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack speak at a conference on
drug-endangered children, Tuesday in Des Moines. Vilsack said that his
passion against methamphetamine stems from his childhood in an abusive home
and he will not allow lawmakers to weaken his proposal to restrict sales of
pseudoephedrine.

His calls for better policies for fighting the illegal narcotic known as
meth drew a standing ovation from social workers, medical providers and law
enforcement officials gathered at a two-day conference in Des Moines to
address drug-endangered children.

Between 2002 and 2004, a total of 982 Iowa children were identified as
living in homes that were the site of illegal meth labs, where they were
exposed to toxic chemicals and drug use.

The governor talked about his own childhood living with a mother who abused
alcohol.

"I know what it means to be a young child in a family where someone is
stricken with substance abuse," he said.

Vilsack wants to make it more difficult for meth makers to get their hands
on pseudoephedrine, a drug found in over-the-counter cold and allergy
medications that is a key ingredient in the narcotic.

He has pushed to make pseudoephedrine a Schedule V drug, available only at
pharmacies for customers willing to show identification.

The governor urged audience members to contact their local lawmakers to
tell them not to accept a "watered-down" law and to strive for the toughest
law in the country.

Iowa House Speaker Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City, said lawmakers are on
track to do exactly that.

Both the House and Senate have passed differing versions of bills that
crack down on the sale of pseudoephedrine. The House voted Tuesday to
insist on its version, sending the legislation to a conference committee
where differences can be hammered out.

Vilsack said that over the Christmas holiday in his hometown of Mount
Pleasant, he met with families who have felt the impact of meth abuse, one
with a child who had been sent to prison and one whose child had died.

"You know, when you hear stories like this, and when you know the people
and you see the face, you understand why this is an important mission. You
understand why it's important for this Legislature to take action," he said.

The governor also outlined other actions he said are important to the
effort, including an investment in early childhood
(http://www.qctimes.com/nie)education and making sure substance abuse
treatment is affordable for families.

He called for lawmakers to require insurers to include substance abuse
treatment as a part of health insurance plans, saying that he believes in
the "power of redemption."

"I saw it in my mother, as sick as she was, as devastated as she was, as
hopeless as it was, she found the strength and the power to turn her life
around and, in turn, became the most important person in my life," Vilsack
said.

But the House has already passed legislation this year that requires some
health insurance packages to include coverage for mental health treatment
and declined to mandate benefits that include substance abuse treatment.

"He's probably not going to get that bill," Rants said. "I've been
advocating for years that we need to pass a mental health parity bill, but
we're trying to hold down the costs."
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Committee

The House appointed five members to a conference committee on
pseudoephedrine restrictions. They are Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield; Cecil
Dolecheck, R-Mount Ayr; Tom Sands, R-Columbus Junction; Kevin McCarthy,
D-Des Moines; and Jim Lykam, D-Davenport. The Senate is expected to
formally announce its conference committee members today.