Conversations off the floor, into the clock ream, please. Into the cloakroom, please. He house will come to order. The chair will now entertain requests for oneminute speeches. For what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to honor the memory of tony castillo, a longtime friend of mine from my hometown of aurora, colorado, who recently passed away. Mr. Coffman we had a friendship that started in our youth, we had so much in common. Tony and i both came from military families. Our late fathers had both married war brides in the aftermath of world war ii. They were career enlisted soldiers who were transferred to the Army Medical Center for their last assignment in 1964. When we were both just 9 years old, our military families both came from previous assignments in europe. While i followed in my fathers footsteps and joined the military, tony stayed in aurora and eventually married the love of his life, nita atkins of pueblo, colorado. They raised two extraordinary children, ben and jess in a loving family that has been inseparable. Tony was an extraordinary example of a great friend, a loving husband, a devoted father and he will always be remembered and millsed by all who knew him missed by all who knew him. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The house will come to order. Will members please take their conversations off the floor. Or into the cloakroom. The house will come to order. For what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island seek recognition . Mr. Langevin i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Langevin mr. Speaker, as cochair of the congressional caucus on foster youth, i rise today in recognition of may as National Foster care month. Growing up, my parents welcomed many foster children into our family, providing them with a stable and nurturing environment. One of the Biggest Challenges for youth in fosterer care is finding their forever family. Even youth who age out of foster care still need a place to call home, even after they turn 18. Whether through reunification, adoption or an individual plan, every foster youth deserves a permanent home. Mr. Speaker, these children belong to all of us. And we are all responsible for their wellbeing. I urge my cliges to join me in colleagues to join me in recognizing may as National Foster care month and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Thompson thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to recognize members of penn state universitys red cell analytics club, a unique organization intended to educate students on how to combat threats in an age in the age of everevolving tech noming. I visited with members of the technology. I visited with members of the club and i listened in you a awe as they talked about how they work with Law Enforcement officers to keep people safe. These students have become experts at recognizing threats and security holes. The central skills in todays world where governments, Technology Firms and corporations must stay one step ahead of those who seek to do us harm. I was happy to learn that members of the red cell analystics club move on to great careers, working with companies that are financial in our financial and technology sectors, along with the federal government. So im fortunate that these talents are necessary so its unfortunate that these talents are necessary in this world but clad that theyre being cultivated at glad that theyre being cultivated at penn state university. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek reck anything . Seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Ryan thank you, mr. Speaker. This week were going to take up a package of bills that i support dealing with the massive heroin epidemic plaguing places like ohio, but all over the country. In my Congressional District, we saw a few months back over 22 overdoses in trummable county alone, seven detects, in summit county, city of akron, 56 people died of a heroin overdose. Compared to just 40 in 2013. And now in ohio, these drug overdoses have been the leading cause of accidental deaths in our state, bypassing car accidents. This house this week is going to do the responsible thing and pass key legislation and hopefully combine with the senate legislation. But theres a missing piece on the recovery side that we need to make sure that as we address this issue, it is comprehensive, it is about addiction, it is about treatment, but it also must be about recovery. So i commend my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for these important pieces of legislation that are coming forth. I will support them, but knowing that weve got a lot more work to do and that the bottom line is we need money behind these programs. And the president put in his budget over 1 billion. We need to make sure that the resources get down to the local communities so we can help stem the tide of this epidemic in our country. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition . Ms. Roslehtinen thank you, mr. Speaker. I ask for unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Ms. Roslehtinen mr. Speaker, today i rise to lend my voice in support of t. S. C. Global awareness day on may 15. T. S. C. Is the rare genetic disease that causes uncontrolled tumor growth across the face, body and organs of affected individuals. Unfortunately there is no cure for t. S. C. South floridas own max luca, look at that sweet young face, was diagnosed with t. S. C. When he was only two weeks old. Now hes 8. And max luca has thrived because of the constant love and care provided by his parents, vanessa and max. Max luca enjoys baseball, as you can see, and hanging out with his best buddy. So please think of this sweet young boy, max luca, and others living with t. S. C. On may 15 for s. T. C. Global awareness day and t. S. C. Global awareness day and lets Work Together to find new treatments and a cure for this tragic disease. Hank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. For what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Paulsen mr. Speaker, i rise today to speak about a genetic disorder that has caused heartbreak for families across the country. The genetic mutation found typically in boys weakens muscles and leaves most sufferers confined to wheelchairs. Due to lung and heart failure, most inflicted with due schenn duchenne before their pass away before their 25th birthday. A new drug was use ts in a medical trial where every participant was able to walk for four years after starting the treatment and on top of that there were no negative side effects. However, the f. D. A. Has yet to approve this new drug, even with such promising results. Mr. Speaker, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is an awful condition that more or less guarantees a short life for those who live with it. Medical advancement is giving hope to those patients for a longer and a better life. But bureaucratic red tape is preventing it those folks from accessing it. Its time for the f. D. A. To remove those roadblocks and to move forward for a new possible life improving treatment. And i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania eek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, on april 29, a natural gas pipeline exploded in salem township, pennsylvania, immediately destroying one home, injuring a resident and forcing the evacuation of a dozen other homes. Mr. Rothfus i rise to thank the First Responders who selflessly and swiftly arrived at the scene. Forbes road Volunteer Fire Department chief bob rosetti led incident command during the crisis. And hes to be commended for the tremendous job he did. In addition to chief rosettis department, the following Volunteer Fire Departments also responded. Slickville, white valley, export, crabtree, greensberg, dell month, claire ridge, hens itown, grand view, new alexandria, gennett, harrison city, washington township, saltsberg, tenniston. These departments were joined by seven other local, county and state levels agencies. The firefighters, police and emergency teams who choose these selfless and courageous professions make our communities safer, better places to live, and for this we should all be grateful. I thank the speaker and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, ben rhodes from the administration said that the iran deal would be the obamacare of the administrations second term. When i heard that i was like, geesh, because a lot of us dont think highly of obamacare, we dont think its worked out well, we dont think the iran deal was going to work out well. Now that has a deeper meaning. Obamacare was sold to the American People on a set of deceptions. If you like your plan, you can keep it, if you like your been doctor, you can keep it, youre going to pay 2,500 less per family for health insurance. Now it turns out, so was the iran deal. They concocted a narrative, a false narrative, that with the election of rouhani, a moderate, who really wanted to have an opening this was a once in a Generation Opportunity for america to seize this day, strike a deal with iran, even though theyre the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism, and bring peace to the world. Mr. Desantis that was all false. This started before rouhani was lengthed, hes not a moderate elected, hes not a moderate, this was a deal made in conjunction with irans hard liners, and as were seeing now, with how theyre behaving, it is benefiting irans hard liners. Obamacare we can fix, it will be tough. May not be able to recover if iran gets a nuclear weapon. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from New Hampshire seek recognition . Mr. Guinta ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Guinta mr. Speaker, i rise to recognize National Nurses week, a time to celebrate the contribution of over three million registered nurses around our country. They are our friends and neighbors who care for our loved ones and treat us with when treat us when were sick. A nurse is usually the first person we talk to at a doctors office, even first thing in the morning. A nurse may be the first person we meet in life. Increasingly, as the American Population ages, nurses are filling larger roles. In New Hampshire, especially Rural Regions werk need more of them than ever. At job fares i hosted, Health Care Employers are scouring the state for help. So i cosponsored the Home Health Care planning improvement act, to allow Nurse Practitioners to visit more patients at home. Nurses are on the front lines of the heroin epidemic in the Granite State and around the country. Some are members of congress, putting their kindness and compassion and understanding to work in government. During National Nurse week, please thank a nurse for his or her contributions. Thank you and i yield back the balance. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Lamalfa thank you, mr. Speaker. The current process to obtain s for tfitters and guide hiking, hunting, fishing, exhibitions out into our public lands, for this recreation event, its very difficult and too expensive, very complicated for them to obtain those permits. Guides and outfitters should not have to navigate arbitrary rules, inconsistent practices and unresponsive federal agencies. As a result ive introduced the guides and outfitters act which will renew the authorization for these recreation permits while eliminating burdensome rep tade. This measure also will cap permit fee, ensure that fees are charged only for activities actually on the public land, not on private lands, provides categorical exclusions for previously studied uses to reduce delays and alouts online applications allows online applications. Its consist went my commitment to increasing Public Access to public lands, making federal agencies more responsive to the communities in which they operate and removing unnecessary bureaucracy red tape that keeps bureaucratic red tape that keeps the people off of their lands. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The chair lays before the house the following personal requests. The clerk leave of absence requested for mr. Hastings of florida for may 10 through 13. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the request is granted. Under the speakers announced policy of january 6, 2015, the gentlewoman from massachusetts, s. Clark, is recognized for 60 minutes as the tezzig knee of the minority leader. Ms. Clark thank you, mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remark their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of the special order. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Ms. Clark id like to thank my colleagues for joining us this evening for this critically important discussion. I thank the chairs of the Bipartisan Task force on the Opioid Epidemic for their leadership and tenacity in pushing reforms. Thank you, congresswoman custer and congressman guinta. This week, we will debate bills on the Opioid Crisis and if theres ever been a time to put away partisan differences and rhetoric its now. Im proud of the task force in supporting bipartisan bills to help stem the tide of this epidemic. S that Public Health crisis that reach into every community. Its an equal opportunity killer without regard for age, gender, race or economic background. It does not chair if care if youre a democrat or republican. In massachusetts just last year, we lost nearly 1,400 lives to this Opioid Crisis. Half of all deaths in massachusetts of opioid overdoses involve heroin, but prescription opioid overdoses are also surging. Between 2013 and 2014, they increased by over 90 . In an and in our state more than most other the epidemic is claiming the lives of our young people, ages 25 to 34. Too many parents are trying to save their child from opioid addictions deadly grip and they are counting on us for help. And thats why were here this evening, to do everything we can to save lives. And at the center of this debate are the families at home who speak out and bravely share their stories so no other parent has to endure the pain of losing their child. Tonight, im thinking of debbie dagel who i met in october in a town hall in revere, massachusetts. In front of a large audience, she told the story of steven, her only child, who she lost to opioid addiction. In her words, she was inconsoleable and it was difficult to make it through each day. And she was also angry because not a month had gone by in the last 15 years she hadnt heard of somebody overdosing, but nobody wanted to talk about it and everybody was too ashamed. Debbie talked about the shame her son felt, she described him as brilliant, her miracle child. She raised him as a single mother, and while it was hard, his Beautiful Life was a gift she cherished. He was smart, witty a song writer and musician. He had a bright future, graduated with honors from st. Johns prep, went to northeastern university, where he became a Computer Science major which was his gift. It was four impacted wisdom teeth his freshman year of college and the opioids he took for pain that started him on his road to addiction. And the Substance Abuse disorder derailed his life, debbie started reading blogs where people commented, theyre just junkies, they should just cull the herd. Thats what got her angry, she thought, these are not animals, these are our children. On her own, she and her son battled his addiction, the insurance company, and the courts. In the end it was a battle they lost. On january 18, 2015, steven kdagel passed away. And his mother lived her worst nightmare, saying goodbye to her only son. When we asked if we could share her story, her request was simple, please get congress to do something, we deserve Real Solutions now. So my request to this congress is to listen to debbie and the pleas of too many other moms like her. This crisis is an urgent calling for congress to act and save lives and this week we will have the opportunity to pass legislation that will give critical tools to address this crisis. Ultimately, however, we must also provide the Financial Resources to our state and local partners to change the course of this epidemic. I thank you for all the work that is being done and with that, id like to yield five minutes to my colleague from New Hampshire, mr. Begin tafment mr. Guinta thank you so much, congresswoman clark, for yielding and i extend my gratitude to you for joining me tonight in this special order. Im also grateful for the opportunity to join bipartisan members, republican and democrat, from around the country, to talk about heroin abuse and increase an increasingly deadly Public Health crisis. Last year i joined with my colleagues from New Hampshire, congresswoman kuster, to create the Bipartisan Task force to combat the heroin epidemic. We strive to battle the opioid addiction across the nation. Our task force has grown to 80 members. Our greth and impact is a testament to the depth of the crisis and the focus of the members of this body. In my home state of New Hampshire, abuse and overdose claimed the lives of 430 people in 015. To put that number in perfect i, thats one out of every 3,000 residents died from an overdose last year. The c. D. C. Reports that nationally Overdose Deaths have tripled over the last 10years. But im proud of the work we have done so far to combat this ep democrat ex. But as many struggling families and ailing communities know, theres much more work to be done. A few weeks ago, the Bipartisan Task force to combat the heroin epidemic proposed a legislative genda. During this heroin and Opioid Awareness week we will see our legislation come to the floor for a vote. I am pleased that my colleagues have tirelessly worked to protect our loved ones from this epidemic. And im proud to cosponsor many bills coming to the floor this week including the house response to the comprehensive addiction and recovery act. To address the comprehensive nature of this epidemic, we must provide a comprehensive legislative package to bolster the efforts of those helping our communities. I filed several amendments to this package for this week, they will increase grants from medication, assisted treatments and longterm recovery. I also filed legislation that would reauthorize recovery programs for three years. And im grateful that my bill, the Good Samaritan assessment act of 2016, passed by suspension in the house earlier today. I hope this provision. My colleagues and i are committed to seing the house of representatives pass the strongest and most comprehensive plan possible. I believe we will do our Due Diligence to pass this plan, go to conference with the senate and put a bill on the president s desk before june. Our plan is urgently needed, nearly 129 people die every day from an opioid overdose. In my district and around the country, i hear from families and friends who know someone coping with Substance Use disorder. We will only make a dent in this great challenge by listening to its victims. We need to hear fathers like doug griffin of newton, New Hampshire, in our first district, whose daughter courtney fell victim to heroin abuse at just 20 years old. Doug remembers courtney is a bright, lively girl with a great sense of humor and deep passion for life. She played music, loved smores. Courtney said she planned to become a marine and serve her country. Three years later, she was lost on the streets, in and out of rehab facilities, prescription pills, feint knoll and heroin ensnared her. She lost the will to live. Because courtneys pain was so great, and because she had so few options for treatment, doug says he and his family hid the truth from the outside world. To help others, theyre speaking out new. Just as this body is this evening. Doug is courageously telling everyone he knows about the warning signs of heroin abuse and the deficiencies in our public response. Millions of americans share courtneys story and dougs anguish. It is only by speaking out and sharing grief that we will remove the stig in a preventing far too many from seeking help. Tonight is about telling the truth, its about finding the solutions we need and why we need them. Its about putting political disagreements aside and cooperating for the common good, for the common good not just of our constituents but our country. As the house considers this vital legislation i encourage my colleagues to listen to their constituents, hear their stories, share their struggles, and help them fight back. We can win this public emergency and it start this is week with the comprehensive legislation and i thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle for working so judiciously and in a manner that i think puts people ahead of anything else that this body is doing. I commend my colleagues and im honored to work with them on this legislation. I thank the congresswoman in the commonwealth of massachusetts just to the south of my district and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore thank you, mr. Ms. Clark thank you, mr. Guinta. I yield three minutes to the gentleman from connecticut, mr. Courtney. Mr. Courtney thank you, mr. Speaker. Thank you to congresswoman clark for organizing this really important discussion here this evening. The scope of they have problem in terms of whats facing our nation is pretty astonishing when you look at the statistics from the center for disease control. In 2004, 7,000 americans lost their lives to heroin overdoses, fast forward 10 year that number is now over 27,000. Again, the statistics land in suburban america, Rural America, or urban america. But at the end of the day, behind every one of those numbers is the story of a human being and a family and thats why this discussion is so important tonight. Next to me i have a chart showing the face of Justice Kelly a 21yearold from connecticut. From holland connecticut. Its the quintessential small town new England Community about five miles from where i live. Her mother, jennifer, moved there hoping that this was going to be a Great Community to raise her child and she went through the Public School system. Battling depression, she fell victim to heroin addiction and for the last number of years has been battling this with methanon treatment , in and out of facilities and programs. Last summer she went to her family, begged them to get access to a longterm Rehab Program. Unfortunately, the waiting lists were months, the facilities in connecticut like so many other parts of the country were full. In august of 2015, when she, again, was in a predicament where she lost her asthma medication, the combination of suffering from asthma and a heroin overdose resultinged in her being rushed to the hospital with an overdose condition. The good news is that the folks at the emergency room were able to save her life. But as her mother said, as we pulled into the parking lot i knew at that moment i was losing her. All i remember from that moment on was being more scared than ive been in my entire life. I saw a whole team of people come outside to try to save my babys life. Shes now in a permanent vegetative state as the photograph next to me indicates and there is no sign of improvement. Her mother went on to say they saved my daughters life that day but its been a hard journey. Her injury is so severe that the likelihood shell ever recover is slim. More than likely ill have to make a decision to bring my baby home with hosspess. This problem extends far beyond the fatalities. Its also going to leave people with chronic, lifechanging conditions like this beautiful young girl from connecticut. Mr. Speaker, this issue is now coming to the floor this week with a number of measures authorizing different changes and approaches to this program. I want to again emphasize the fact, i come from the state with the highe p highest per capita income but even in connecticut people cant find access to treatment beds. Thats why at some point we have to bring this level this discussion to a higher level and realize we need to get resources out to the communities so Law Enforcement can at the front lines deal with this issue and emergency situations so we have treatment omingses for families like the kelly family in connecticut and also we go upstream in terms of prevention and education to get to the root causes of the pathways to heroin and opioid addiction. This is going to require an all hands on deck approach. So yes, lets support the legislation thats coming forward this week, lets make smart policy changes, lets authorize different policemans, but at the end of the day we need to put our money where our mouth is we need to treat this like a Natural Disaster where we would instantly as a nation respond to a hurricane thats taking human lives at the clip much slower in fact than whats happening with the heroin Opioid Crisis. Lets move forward with the 600 million request for funding emergency supplemental funding before the Appropriations Committee so we cannot just talk about solving this problem but also going to again put the resources out there so the police, the addiction counselors, treatment folks, all the families that are out there desperate for help know that our country is going to treat this as the true crisis that it is and get the resources all across the country. So again thank you to representative clark for organizing this discussion, jennifer kelly, justices mother, thanks you for the opportunity to tell the story of her daughter. Lets move forward with all the resources and all the good ideas forward because thats the only way were ever going to come to terms with this problem and solve it. With that, i yield back. Thank you. Please ex tend our thanks to jennifers family for sharing that story and thank you for your advocacy. Ms. Clark i now yield three minutes to the gentleman from new york, mr. Katko. Mr. Katko thank you. During my 15 years as a federal prosecutor in syracuse, new york, i witnessed firsthand on a daily basis a devastating impacts of the devastating impacts of drug use in general and heroin in particular and the terrible impacts it had on the wellbeing of our children, the lives of those directly involved, and the safety of our community. Tragically, the impact of heroin and other opioids has gotten much worse in recent years. As a federal prosecutor, ive seen every possible drug known to man on the streets, ive never seen anything with the devastating effects that heroin has on our communities. Literally fatal incidents are happening on a regular basis. One of my Top Priorities during my time in washington has been to facilitate a Community Dialogue in this Public Health epidemic to discuss ways of treating and preventing addiction. Mr. Speaker, at every forum, every town hall, every business i visit, every hospital i visit, i hear from my constituents the devastation this epidemic is inflicting on or communities. I hear tragic stories about friends or Family Members succumbing to heroin addiction. I hear from medical workers and First Responders about the strain this epidemic is placing on resources. I hear story of pain and loss. I want to share a few of those with you to illustrate what im talking about. During the course of the six town halls ive conducted or participated in throughout my district over the last several months, we routinely heard story of victims, in particular their families, of loved ones theyve lost. One individual really caught my attention. They all caught my attention but this one was privilege devastating. Morgan acts was a beautiful young woman, a great athlete, just a great kid overall who battled addiction with heroin for several years. At 24 years old she became pregnant and she stopped taking heroin completely to protect her baby. Stopped taking any drugs that would help her with her cravings and was doing great. At the 2015 month, five months of being clean, a boyfriend thought it would be a good idea to give her a dose of heroin. And we have the telephone records to show it. She took that heroin and she died, as did her baby. Come to that to forum and talk about this. I applaud her for the openness with which she talks about it, the pain that she shared with us. And the lessons that can be learned from this. It can happen to anybody. The not an inner city drug. When we were growing up we used to think of heroin users as individuals who would be under a bridge somewhere in an alley. Thats not the way it is. It affects suburbs, wealthy, poor, and everyone in between. One other quick story. When i was renting my congressional office, the individual that was showing me the office had a sad look in his eye. He told me the story of his daughter who was the final four m. V. P. In lacrosse the year before. She had died of a heroin overdose because she got into heroin after that championship. An emdemocratic with epidemic with enormous consequences and the getting even worse. Its claiming lives from every age, class and race. I know society doesnt like to talk about drugs, addiction overdose, but this is a problem we can no longer ignore and one we must absolutely, positively address. The scourge must be stopped. Im absolutely proud to be part of the house action being taken this week on several measures that will help to fight against this growing Opioid Epidemic through the passage of my drug kingpin bill earlier today. Much remains to be done. Congress will build on actions this week and continue to work on efforts in a bipartisan manner. To fight back and save people from addiction. Thank you, mr. Speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. Ms. Clark thank you. Thank you for sharing morgans story with us. Id now like to yield three minutes to the gentleman from the western part of the commonwealth, mr. Neal. Mr. Neal i request permission to address the house, revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Neal i want to thank congresswoman clark and ms. Kuster and mr. Guinta for the good work theyve done in calling attention this evening to this crisis that now threatens to overwhelm Rehabilitation Centers across the country. What i want to specifically cite in my comments for the next few minutes, a very human story. Her name is bethany. And she wrote to me on january 18 of this year. Dear congressman neal, i am writing to you regarding the heroin prescription pill crisis our state and nation is currently entrenched in. I am a physician assistant who graduated Wake Forest Baptist Medical School in 2003. I have worked in various Outpatient Clinics as well as bay state Medical Center in springfield, massachusetts, and others. I have treated overdose patients, been alongside physicians who have pronounced patients deceased from an overdose, as well as having referred patients to Crisis Support teams, outpatient treatment and rehabs. After all of this, i never expected that i would become addicted to prescription painkillers after a series of surgeries and illness. I suffered in silence alone in fear, shame and guilt. I was a functioning professional who refer my addicted parents to various resources but when i tried to reach out for help, i hit roadblocks. For instance, the emergency room i worked in was outsourced so that when i went to the emergency room director on two separate occasions to ask to go to the Employee Assistance program, i was told that those resources were only available to hospital employees. I tried outpatient therapy 1,step programs, but i kept 12step programs, but i kept sliding backwards. After years of struggling, i couldnt keep silent any longer. I confessed my addiction to a coworker. I felt that finally help would come. Instead i was fired for cause and without benefits. The fear that had kept me silent for all those years was now my reality. My husband was a stayatdad and now how could we support our three children . I felt like my life was falling apart. Little did i know that what i was doing was actually falling into place. With Family Support i found the Rehab Program for six months where i could go with two Young Children. I saw my oldest on the weekends, after graduating rehab, i interviewed and sign under with the massachusetts professional reporting system, for five years i have called in daily, i am subjected to at least 15 random drug tests a year, i go two to four hours of recovery meetings every week and attend professionals in recovery meeting weekly. Its in these meet thags i finally found a sense of belonging. It was the vital piece of the puzz that will had been lacking as i surged for recovery but kept back sliding. She writes in this letter to me ever her strong faith of her strong faith and how it helped to get her through this very difficult time in her life. But she also points out that the system is broken. That the emergency room funding for reaching individuals is inadequate, that Pain Management is inadequate, that pain scale treatments are inadequate. She writes of how i found myself overtreating pain at times because i was taught that we could get sanctioned from not treating pain. I felt obligated to treat someones subjective pain without objective findings or reason. She writes of all the challenges that she faced all having started because of surgeries and illnesses that she had that required medication that in fact in the end she could not successfully escape. But she testified in a forum that i held, she was courageous enough to get up and talk about the problems that she had, and you know what, shes doing better. So we call attention to those tonight who might find a path forward from the grim reality f heroin that sells for 3 a bag. This was an individual who had a normal working relationship with colleagues, this was an individual who went to work faithfully, had a professional designation, and found herself caught up in the opiate crisis because of the prescriptions that had been given to her early on. I know that the Maintenance Plan thats being proposed, the suggestions that are being offered for more physicians to secure training and how opiates might be extended to those who need them, but i would implore this congress to act favorably upon that proposal and legislation. We all regularly go to caucus meetings gerks to a host of gettogethers where we always attempt to upgrade our skills and theres nothing that will upgrade your skills like the courseness of a campaign, i can tell you that. But we all find that professional opportunity to challenge ourselves to do better in this institution. That should not be unlike those who are outside of the institution, where you rel regularly require courses for attorneys, c. P. A. s and others, why not for physicians to receive the training that today would be readily available with the assistance of this congress, hopefully after the vigorous activity that we will take this week. I close as i hoped, i want to thank congresswoman clark for her leadership, congresswoman kuster for her leadership, congressman guinta for his leadership on this issue. This is, im telling you, across western and Central Massachusetts devastating families. Theres an opportunity here for the congress to respond. I yield back my time. Ms. Clark thank you, mr. Neal. Thank you for the critical story that bethany shared with you and that you shared with us. We know how devastating this crisis has been in western and Central Massachusetts. And we thank you for all your leadership on it. With that i yield three minutes to ms. Stefanik from new york. Ms. Stefanik thank you, ms. Clark. Thank you, mr. Speaker. First, i want to take a moment to thank my colleague, mr. Guentarks ms. Kuster, and ms. Clark, for their work and tireless efforts to combat the heroin epidemic sweeping across our nation. Over the last 15 years, heroinrelated deaths have quadrupled, leaving families and communities across this country shattered. This crisis has been felt acutely in my district, where the region is a major pipeline for illicit Drug Trafficking. Last november Law Enforcement in washington county, new york, made 11 arrests in one morning of individuals illegally selling heroin, cocaine and Prescription Drugs. In new yorks north country, i have seen and heard from those in recovery and those still struggling that heroin addiction and Prescription Drug abuse is a lifelong challenge. In my district, heroin addiction tragedies have caused parents to bury their children, left spouses widowed, and Young Children parentless. These drugs reach out and impact even the strongest members of our communities. Addiction is a disease that does not description discriminate. The support offered by Treatment Centers like st. Josephs treatment and i dipping and Addiction Center is critical to those who suffer from this disease. Several veterans who i had the opportunity to visit with at st. Josephs have seen the harsh reality of war and are now fighting battles at home. One against heroin and opioid addiction, and another against posttraumatic stress disorder. Heroin abuse touches our communities, our homes and our families in ways that have grave effects on everyday people and everyday lives. As heroin use has increased, Police Departments across this nation have seen a rapid rise in related crimes such as sex trafficking, domestic disputes, larceny, burglary and prostitution. All tied to heroin use. This week im honored to stand with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to advance legislative solutions to this widespread and insidious crisis. As a member of representative guinta and kusters Bipartisan Task force to combat heroin abuse and assist Law Enforcement efforts, we have worked tirelessly to find solutions. The legislation we present this week provides critical tools to medical personnel and Law Enforcement for stemming the flow of drugs and enhancing Treatment Options and available. These are real problems that need to be addressed through innovation, cooperation and thoughtful action. I am confident we can secure a better heroinfree future for our nation. These efforts are not the end of the house work on this issue. We will continue to Seek Solutions to this crisis that has touched families across my district and across our nation. On behalf of the families, communities and veterans in new yorks 21st Congressional District and across the country, i urge my colleagues to join those of us here tonight as we work to eliminate the heroin epidemic facing this country. Thank you. Ms. Clark thank you, ms. Stefa nick. I yield fs stefanik. And i yield three minutes to the gentlelady from ohio, ms. Kaptur. Ms. Kaptur i want to thank my colleague, congresswoman clark, for leading this effort, yielding me time, congressman guinta, and congresswoman ann kuster who worked tirelessly to move the Heroin Task Force agenda forward. I applaud their persevering efforts and the effort to acknowledge the danger and devastation the opioid and heroin epidemic has caused across our great nation. This impacts every county in the ninth district of ohio, stretching across all of northern ohio. Weve been impacted more heavily due to the major highway turnpike, i8090 and easy transport networks that link to International Smuggling access points. The largest of our district five county, chi hoe ga county, declared a Public Health emergency because of record rates of overdoses. The county lost a staggering 181 citizens in this first four months of 2016, a rate of Overdose Deaths that if continued would more than double the 2015 numbers for that ounty. Mayors across the district report to me the dramatic increase in emergency calls related to the ep democrat egg. In northern ohio, spikes in overdoses are outpacing the ability of local hospitals and rehabilitation facilities to respond effectively. This weeks legislative activity is imperative to communities across america. I encourage our communities to our congress to send this to the president. Peoples lives and safety are waiting for our actions. Id like to schafer the stories of three young adults two named matt, and one named tracy, who have been victimized by the heroin and Opioid Epidemic. The first is matt, 29, from toledo, ohio, who never thought hed become an addict. He never even smoked cigarettes as a youth. Had a great upbringing and good home with an amazingly loving family. He went to private school from kindergarten through high school, went to college on a full athletic scholarship for baseball after garage tl waiting with a 4. 0 g. P. A. So what happened, you ask . Er to his rotator cuff and was a prescription for 90 percocet. Percocet pills got expensive he, trped out of college and one day, not being able to find pills because of price and lack of availability he was offered heroin which was cheap and stronger from that day on he was hooked an injected heroin for nine years. Matt transformed into a shell of who ehe used to be, who he who he wanted nd to become. Could i get an extra minute and 30 seconds . Ms. Clark i yield the gentlelady one minute. Ms. Kaptur hes now a convicted felon and overdosed and died. How could this have happened to such a promising young man . Heroin and opioid abus sees no boundaries. It is death masquerading as medicine. In toledo there are only 16 federally funded detox beds for an estimated 10,000 opioid addicts. We simply have to have legislation that allows for more detox facilities, there are programs like Team Recovery that have made a difference in the lives of individuals like tracy whose story i will place in the record and let me just say that if there are families out there who need assistance, one can call 1006624357 for advice and directions. That is an addiction hotline. 1800662help. 1800662help. The life you save may be your own or that of a relative, friend or loved one. Thank you, mr. Speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. Ms. Clark thank you, ms. Kaptur. Thank you for putting a face to this addiction with the moving stories of matt and tracy. With that, i yield one minute to the gentleman from ohio, mr. Stivers. Mr. Stivers thank you, mr. Speaker. I send to the desk a privileged report from the committee on rules for filing under the rule. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title. The clerk report to accompany House Resolution 20, resolution providing for consideration of e bill h. R. 4 41 to provide for an interagent task force to review and update best practices for Pain Management and preprescribing Pain Management and other purposes and providing for consideration of the bill h. R. 5046 to amend the only the buse act of 1968 to authorize the attorney general to make grants to assist state and local governmentses in addressing the National Epidemic of opioid abuse and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore referred to the house calendar and ordered printed. Ms. Clark i yield three minutes to the gentleman from ohio, mr. Chabot. Mr. Chabot i thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank ms. Clarke and mr. Guinta for their hard work in making this happen tonight and moving forward on this important issue. Mr. Speaker, opioid its use is an ep democrat nick this country and unfortunately the problem is only getting worse. I want to also comment our senator, rob portman, for his leadership in introducing an passing in the other body cara, legislation to combat opioids, especially heroin. I would expect that whatever we pass here in the house, and were considering a number of bills, will ultimately be reconciled with the senate and mr. Portmans bill over in the senate and this will help many struggling americans. I talked to a member of a city council in one of the smaller communities in my district back in i represent the Greater Cincinnati area, warren county, happened to be north bend. Theres only, according to the last census, 857 people live in the entire village. Its pretty small. The First Council person i talked to talked about the heroin problem theyre having in this community. This is a very Small Community, kind of a normal, you know, middle class area, great people, families, hard working people, yet heroin is becoming a courage in this community. William henry harrison, one of our earlier president s, has this monument, he was from this community. Its just amazing to me to think that, if it hits a Small Community like this, its hitting virtually everywhere. Simply put, we must find Workable Solutions to this epidemic. And high incomes, low incomes, urban, suburban, rural, it doesnt matter this epidemic is impacting communities all across this country. In fact, in my home state of ohio, 13 out of 16 Congressional Districts are designated as high intensity Drug Trafficking areas by the office of National Drug control policy. And back in 2014, just a little over a year ago, we had a staggering 2,744 heroin deaths in our state alone and obviously states all over the country having this problem as well. Mr. Speaker, in searching for an answer to this problem, i happen to be the dean of the republicans in highway, and we head of efing with the the office of National Drug control policy. Michael botticelli, we learned a lot about whats happening in our state and nationally. Basically what we learned, theres two fronts. Its reducing the supply and its eliminating the demand. Supply reduction is a complex issue, since much of the heroin is coming across the mexican border. Obviously increase Border Security is important, treatment is absolutely important. The Drug Enforcement agency often, they have takeback days where people can drop off old prescriptions to licensed agents sr. Disposal. Awful lot seen is an of the, especially young people getting hooked on heroin, start out with Prescription Drugs and oftentimes its something they got from a Family Member in their own home. But despite additional control mechanisms, if theres one thing weve learned over the years its almost impossible to completely cut after the supply of any particular drug. So we must also eliminate the demand, we need to focus on drug treatment and prevention programs, for example in cincinnati we have something called the tall bert house, its one of many nonprofits that help folks in southwest ohio and orthern kentucky to combat Substance Abuse. So theres many, many programs that we already have, we need to have more, and i want to, again, comment the fact that this is happening in a bipartisan manner, weve got a lot of members in the house both republicans and democrats who have come together, have a lot of good plans, theyve talked with the folks in their districts and i comment my colleagues for working on this together in a bipartisan manner. Lets reconcile what we pass here with the senate, lets get this passed into law and lets move this forward on this very, very critical issue. I thank you for pulling this together this evening and i yield back. Ms. Clark thank you, mr. Chabot and thank you for reminding us that even Rural America has not been spared this epidemic. I yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from texas, ms. Jackson lee. Ms. Jackson lee this is an emotion ol night emotional night for me. Thank you, ms. Clarke, for fwiding us. Thank you to mr. Guinta and ms. Kuster. I am so moved by the fact that we are here on a bipartisan statement and as i spoke to ms. Kuster and indicated as Ranking Member of the justice committee, count me in, as she began to expand the window, the tragic window of the impact of drug addiction, particularly opioids. Let me speak quickly because i have a lot to say. This is an epidemic thats gone beyond reason, between 2000 and 2014, almost half a Million People died from drug overdoses. 2014 alone, more than 27,000 people died of drug overdoses. The largest percentage of Overdose Deaths were attributed to opioids, painkiller, methadone, morphine and heroin. Today in the rules committee we made it clear we want to work with doctors an Law Enforcement. We also said we understand the use of painkillers during end of life and we understand that. So were not here to condemn. We are here to help. Im so glad that the Judiciary Committee will have on the floor this comprehensive addiction and recovery act that responds to this caucus. It is a treatment bill and where we will bring together Law Enforcement and Substance Abuse treatment persons. This emergency is compounded due to the per lout connection between prescription painkillers and heroin. Approximately 34 new heroin users report that their use began with their abuse of Prescription Drugs. Not only were 11 Million People at risk of overdosing due to their abuse of prescription painkillers, 11 Million People were also at risk of becoming adicked to heroin with its risk. Weve heard the stories, let me share some with you quickly. What about as i read on the plane as i came up a very painful story. A woman detained in a fatal car wreck. In that car was her little 2yearold and a little 7yearold. She was on hydrocone. She sideswiped two cars and killed a person on a motorcycle that persons family does not have them anymore this woman will be subjected possibly to life imprisonment. Those children will not have a mother. What about the situation in highway. We dont know what the circumstances were but eight families, eight persons of a family killed, execution style, drugs behind it. What about this mother who supplied hydrocodne and alcohol to her son and his date on prom night. Theres an epidemic we must confront. Those who would do wrong but those who are addicted. This has evidenced by a study, how the heroin epidemic differs in communities of color. Its important as i stand here and look at suburban and rural areas that we began remember how its doubled among africanamericans, latinos and nate i americans and we look to the kind of resources that will include all. In conclusion, let me just share these numbers with you that i think are so very important. Theyre startling. The increase in overdose by rate, 267 by the white population from 2010 to 2014. 213 by africanamericans from 2010 to 2014. 137 by his pan ex, and native americans, 236 . Not one person can be counted out that needs to be included in our work here on the floor of the house. I am glad that we are making this Statement Today and next week because now america knows, congress is speak, the bully pulpit will be heard and i hope we can save lives. I yield back. Ms. Clark thank you, ms. Jackson lee. Thank you for your advocacy and leadership and championing our communities of color color who have been devastated by this crisis. I yield three minutes to the representative of pennsylvania, mr. Rothfus. I thank her and mr. Guinta for this very important evening where we are talking about a plague on our country. Im pleased to join my colleagues from beat sides of the aisle to find solutions for the epidemic hitting our communities. Our Bipartisan Task force is actively bringing Law Enforcement treatment and recovery to share critical information to h understand. This house is working on crafting better laws that will help Law Enforcement to
comparemela.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.