The Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs is scheduled to vote April 18 
on HR 1271, the Family Privacy Protection Act, which would require prior 
written consent from parents before minors can participate in any federally 
funded survey research.  This would include the annual "Monitoring the 
Future" survey which provides critical information about alcohol and 
other drug use among junior high and high school students.

The Senate has not taken any action on the legislation since February 28, 1996; 
however, congressional staff has indicated that they have not heard much 
from grassroots organizations that oppose the bill.  

NCADD is concerned about HR 1271 because requiring written approval from 
parents has historically resulted in a small number of responses.  The 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has testified that this 
requirement could seriously jeopardize the ability of agencies such as 
the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 
to provide the federal, state and local policy makers with useful, quality 
information.  HHS believes this requirement would undermine the credibility 
of studies by negatively impacting participation rates and introducing 
response bias.

For more information on HR 1271,contact the Public Policy Office via 
e-mail at  publicpolicy@ncadd.org.

Call the Capitol Hill Switchboard at 202/224-3121 and ask for your 
senator's office.  Tell him or her:

1)  The ability of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and SAMHSA to track
 alcohol and other drug use trends would be compromised by HR 1271.  
Affected studies include:

- "Monitoring the Future," an annual study of junior and senior high school 
students;

- "The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse";

- The Drug Abuse Warning Network, a survey of drug-related emergency
room episodes;

-  Services Research Outcomes Study, which involves interviews with 
treatment clients;

-  Ongoing surveys of American Indian and Alaskan Native youth, groups 
that are at high risk of developing substance abuse problems.


2)  HR 1271 would impede Congress' ability to assess the effectiveness of 
SAMHSA programs and other federal efforts related to alcohol and other drug use.

3)  HR 1271 is an issue in search of a problem.  Current law and regulation already 
protect the rights of minors.

It is particularly important for you to call your senator if he is listed below:

SENATE GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

Ted Stevens--AL  			John Glenn--OH**
William Cohen--ME			Carl Levin--MI**
Thad Cochran--MS			Joseph Lieberman--CT
Robert Smith--NH			Byron Dorgan--ND
William Roth--DE			Sam Nunn--GA
Fred Thompson--TN			David Pryor--AR
John McCain--AZ			Daniel Akaka--HI
Hank Brown--CO

**If you live in Ohio or Michigan, you should THANK Senators Glenn and Levin 
for the leadership they have already shown on this issue.

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