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WASHINGTON (Fri., Dec. 21) - In one of its last acts before adjourning for the year, the Senate late Thursday approved major legislation to boost drug abuse prevention and treatment, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and the committee's Ranking Republican, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah).

Leahy and Hatch included their anti-drug plan in the 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act, which, now that it has passed the Senate and the House in separate forms, is likely to be the first comprehensive Department of Justice (DOJ) authorization bill to pass the Congress since 1979. Leahy and Hatch led the drafting of the Senate's version of the authorization bill, which will -- for the first time in more than 20 years -- comprehensively authorize Justice Department and its various components, including the FBI, DEA, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The Senate-passed bill now will be conferenced with a counterpart bill, H.R.2215, that has passed the House.

Other additions to the DOJ charter bill include a major expansion of Boys and Girls Club funding, creation of new federal judgeships in over-worked districts, improvements to criminal laws, and direct help to communities in combating the drug ecstasy and in attacking crime.

· Retargets War On Drugs With Balanced Approaches: (Leahy-Hatch Amendment) The Drug Abuse Education, Prevention and Treatment Act (S.304) added to the bill is the first major anti-drug plan in decades that offers a balanced approach - treatment, prevention and law enforcement - and the first in many years launched on a solid bipartisan footing. The Leahy-Hatch plan - which has been a top priority for both senators - includes a variety of grant programs to aid states and local communities in preventing and treating drug abuse and charters drug treatment grants for rural states. Leahy has held town meetings in Vermont about the state's needs - and the needs of rural states generally - in combating such drugs as heroin.

· Expands Boys and Girls Clubs Funding: (Leahy-Hatch Amendment) Authorizes Department of Justice grants to establish more than 1,000 new Boys and Girls Clubs across the country before Jan.1, 2007. This bipartisan amendment authorizes Department of Justice grants for each of the next 5 years to establish 1,200 additional Boys and Girls Clubs across the nation, which would bring the number of Boys and Girls Clubs to 4,000. Leahy this year has led in earlier steps to restore Boys and Girls Club funding that was eliminated in the Administration's budget proposals to Congress, and Leahy and Hatch worked to pass bipartisan legislation in 1997 that authorized DOJ grants to fund 2,500 Boys and Girls Clubs across the nation, increasing funding for the Boys and Girls Clubs from $20 million in 1998 to $60 million in 2001. Boys and Girls Clubs play an important role in supporting children and in preventing crime and drug abuse. The Vermont Boys and Girls Clubs have received more than a million dollars from the Department of Justice grants since 1998. This long-term federal commitment has enabled Vermonters to establish six Boys and Girls Clubs - in Brattleboro, Burlington, Montpelier, Randolph, Rutland, and Vergennes. The success of these clubs in Vermont has led to efforts to create nine more clubs across the state.

· New Judgeships To Help Caseloads On Southwest Border: (Feinstein-Leahy-Hatch) Adds five judgeships in the Southern District of California, two judgeships in the Western District of Texas, and one judgeship in the Western District of North Carolina. The bill also converts two temporary judgeships in Illinois into permanent judgeships, creates one new temporary judgeship in the Western District of North Carolina, and extends the temporary judgeship in the Northern District of Ohio for five years.

· Creates A Separate Violence Against Women Office Within DOJ: (Biden-Specter)

· Steps To Combat Ecstasy: (Graham Amendment) Steers Justice Department grant funding to states to combat abuse of the drug ecstasy.

· Bolsters Counter-Terrorism Efforts: (Leahy-Hatch, plus Wyden-Smith and Sessions amendments) Authorizes DOJ Counterterrorism Fund to meet extraordinary counter-terrorism costs incurred in conducting terrorism threat assessments, paying rewards and prosecuting cases; clarifies authority of federal prosecutors to use undercover techniques to investigate terrorists, and authorizes various DOJ Centers for Domestic Preparedness across the country.

· More Effective Oversight of DOJ Components and Electronic Surveillance Tools: (Leahy-Hatch) Requires DOJ submission of reports to Congress on use of DCS 1000 (Canivore), and clarifies that DOJ's Inspector General is authorized to investigate misconduct by FBI and DEA agents.

· More Funding to Improve Treatment of Juveniles In Adult Prisons: (Leahy-Hatch) Authorizes use of Truth-In-Sentencing and Violent Offender Incarceration Grant funds to provide separate facilities for, specialize personnel training to deal with, and ombudsmen to monitor treatment of, juveniles tried as adults who are serving sentences in adult prisons or jails.