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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Michael J. Herzing |
State Rep. James E. Casorio, Jr. |
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Casorio bill aimed at helping children
ravaged by meth manufacture and use
HARRISBURG, April 13 – A special state task force to develop and coordinate state and local agency response to children whose lives are impacted by the illegal production and use of methamphetamine would be created under legislation reintroduced by state Rep. James E. Casorio Jr., D-Westmoreland.
“We have an entire generation of children in Pennsylvania whose lives are at risk of being destroyed by methamphetamine, not because they themselves are using, but because they are surrounded on a constant basis by adults who are manufacturing and using this dangerous drug,” Casorio said. “The health and safety issues this presents for children are too numerous to count, and we need to make sure that they are receiving the support and care they need for a healthy future.”
Casorio’s bill (H.B. 994) would create a state task force on drug-endangered children. The task force would be chaired by the state secretary of Health and would include the secretaries of Education, Public Welfare and Environmental Protection, the state police commissioner, the state’s crime victim advocate, and representatives from local agencies that provide services to drug-endangered children.
The task force would prepare a report for the General Assembly that would include recommendations for starting a statewide response system and strategic plan for coordinating services for children impacted by methamphetamine production and use. The report would also be provided to local agencies and would serve as a blueprint for training and education programs provided by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
Casorio said many children live in the same building, or in the same apartment or house, as a methamphetamine lab, and are exposed to the constant danger of the chemicals used to manufacture the drug and to the risk of fire or explosion. When these children are rescued from these situations, he said, they are often removed at a moment’s notice, forced to leave behind their home and all it contains – including their clothing, their toys and other possessions.
“Numerous agencies have responsibilities in dealing with these young victims of methamphetamine production – local law enforcement, child protective services, fire and rescue squads, medical staff and more,” Casorio said. “All of these responders need to be aware of the special challenges that these drug-endangered children face once they are rescued from these situations.
“A statewide response system and a coordinated plan for dealing with these children is the only way we can ensure a healthy and productive future for many of them.”
During last year’s House Committee of the Whole session on crime and violence, House members overwhelmingly voted to support a similar bill introduced by Casorio, 145-24.
“The support for such a task force is obviously present, and legislators showed during the previous session that they understand the importance of a coordinated response for these children,” Casorio said. “This session, we need to get this measure passed by both the House and Senate and signed into law."
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