The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that could mean $200,000 to fight methamphetamine for five drug task forces in Kentucky.

If the Senate approves the funding, it will be divided between the five drug task forces in the district of U.S. Rep. Ron Lewis, R-Cecilia, including the Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force and the Barren-Edmonson County Drug Task Force, said Tommy Loving, director of the Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force and president of the Kentucky Narcotics Officers Association.

The funds will be allocated solely to task forces to train new officers and assist in efforts to find and shut down meth laboratories, Lewis said.

“These funds will help local law enforcement officials pay for cleanup and disposal of some very dangerous chemicals,” Lewis said. “We must continue our fight to ensure that federal, state and local authorities have the resources and support necessary to fight this growing epidemic. This is a top priority to me and many of my colleagues here in Congress.”

If everything goes well, the task forces could begin applying for the funds in October, Loving said.

It's good to see this kind of funding passed, Loving said, and the funding is important to battling the meth problem in this area.

The Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force would use any funding it received to update technology as meth moves from a drug primarily produced in laboratories to being shipped into this area, Loving said. It will take additional funds to run undercover operations.

The issue is becoming less about handling the home-produced meth laboratories, Loving said. The number of laboratories has been decreasing as a state law has made it more difficult to obtain pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in meth production.

“Representative Lewis has always been a big supporter of the efforts of drug task forces,” Loving said. “He has been supportive even when the president has not been.”

The funds are included in the Commerce, State and Judiciary Appropriations Act of 2008.