[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 93 (Tuesday, July 18, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H6374-H6377]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT ACT OF 2000
Mr. BLILEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2634) to amend the Controlled Substances Act with respect to
registration requirements for practitioners who dispense narcotic drugs
in schedule IV or V for maintenance treatment or detoxification
treatment, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 2634
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Drug Addiction Treatment Act
of 2000''.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT.
(a) In General.--Section 303(g) of the Controlled
Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 823(g)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``(A) security'' and
inserting ``(i) security'', and by striking ``(B) the
maintenance'' and inserting ``(ii) the maintenance'';
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (3) as
subparagraphs (A) through (C), respectively;
(3) by inserting ``(1)'' after ``(g)'';
(4) by striking ``Practitioners who dispense'' and
inserting ``Except as provided in paragraph (2),
practitioners who dispense''; and
(5) by adding at the end the following paragraph:
``(2)(A) Subject to subparagraphs (D) and (J), the
requirements of paragraph (1) are waived in the case of the
dispensing (including the prescribing), by a practitioner who
is a qualifying physician as defined in subparagraph (G), of
narcotic drugs in schedule III, IV, or V or combinations of
such drugs if the practitioner meets the conditions specified
in subparagraph (B) and the narcotic drugs or combinations of
such drugs meet the conditions specified in subparagraph (C).
``(B) For purposes of subparagraph (A), the conditions
specified in this subparagraph with respect to a physician
are that, before the initial dispensing of narcotic drugs in
schedule III, IV, or V or combinations of such drugs to
patients for maintenance or detoxification treatment, the
physician submit to the Secretary a notification of the
intent of the physician to begin dispensing the drugs or
combinations for such purpose, and that the notification
contain the following certifications by the physician:
``(i) The physician is a qualifying physician as defined in
subparagraph (G).
``(ii) With respect to patients to whom the physician will
provide such drugs or combinations of drugs, the physician
has the capacity to refer the patients for appropriate
counseling and other appropriate ancillary services.
``(iii) In any case in which the physician is not in a
group practice, the total number of such patients of the
physician at any one time will not exceed the applicable
number. For purposes of this clause, the applicable number is
30, except that the Secretary may by regulation change such
total number.
``(iv) In any case in which the physician is in a group
practice, the total number of such patients of the group
practice at any one time will not exceed the applicable
number. For purposes of this clause, the applicable number is
30, except that the Secretary may by regulation change such
total number, and the Secretary for such purposes may by
regulation establish different categories on the basis of the
number of physicians in a group practice and establish for
the various categories different numerical limitations on the
number of such patients that the group practice may have.
``(C) For purposes of subparagraph (A), the conditions
specified in this subparagraph with respect to narcotic drugs
in schedule III, IV, or V or combinations of such drugs are
as follows:
``(i) The drugs or combinations of drugs have, under the
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or section 351 of the
Public Health Service Act, been approved for use in
maintenance or detoxification treatment.
``(ii) The drugs or combinations of drugs have not been the
subject of an adverse determination. For purposes of this
clause, an adverse determination is a determination published
in the Federal Register and made by the Secretary, after
consultation with the Attorney General, that the use of the
drugs or combinations of drugs for maintenance or
detoxification treatment requires additional standards
respecting the qualifications of physicians to provide such
treatment, or requires standards respecting the quantities of
the drugs that may be provided for unsupervised use.
``(D)(i) A waiver under subparagraph (A) with respect to a
physician is not in effect unless (in addition to conditions
under subparagraphs (B) and (C)) the following conditions are
met:
``(I) The notification under subparagraph (B) is in writing
and states the name of the physician.
``(II) The notification identifies the registration issued
for the physician pursuant to subsection (f).
``(III) If the physician is a member of a group practice,
the notification states the names of the other physicians in
the practice and identifies the registrations issued for the
other physicians pursuant to subsection (f).
``(ii) The Secretary shall provide to the Attorney General
all information contained in such notifications.
``(iii) Upon receiving information regarding a physician
under clause (ii), the Attorney General shall assign the
physician involved an identification number under this
paragraph for inclusion with the registration issued for the
physician pursuant to subsection (f). The identification
number so assigned clause shall be appropriate to preserve
the confidentiality of patients for whom the physician
dispenses narcotic drugs under a waiver under subparagraph
(A).
``(E)(i) If a physician is not registered under paragraph
(1) and, in violation of the conditions specified in
subparagraphs (B) through (D), dispenses narcotic drugs in
schedule III, IV, or V or combinations of such drugs for
maintenance treatment or detoxification treatment, the
Attorney General may, for purposes of section 304(a)(4),
consider the physician to have committed an act that renders
the registration of the physician pursuant to subsection (f)
to be inconsistent with the public interest.
``(ii)(I) A physician who in good faith submits a
notification under subparagraph (B) and reasonably believes
that the conditions specified in subparagraphs (B) through
(D) have been met shall, in dispensing narcotic drugs in
schedule III, IV, or V or combinations of such drugs for
maintenance treatment or detoxification treatment, be
considered to have a waiver under subparagraph (A) until
notified otherwise by the Secretary.
``(II) For purposes of subclause (I), the publication in
the Federal Register of an adverse determination by the
Secretary pursuant to subparagraph (C)(ii) shall (with
respect to the narcotic drug or combination involved) be
considered to be a notification provided
[[Page H6375]]
by the Secretary to physicians, effective upon the expiration
of the 30-day period beginning on the date on which the
adverse determination is so published.
``(F)(i) With respect to the dispensing of narcotic drugs
in schedule III, IV, or V or combinations of such drugs to
patients for maintenance or detoxification treatment, a
physician may, in his or her discretion, dispense such drugs
or combinations for such treatment under a registration under
paragraph (1) or a waiver under subparagraph (A) (subject to
meeting the applicable conditions).
``(ii) This paragraph may not be construed as having any
legal effect on the conditions for obtaining a registration
under paragraph (1), including with respect to the number of
patients who may be served under such a registration.
``(G) For purposes of this paragraph:
``(i) The term `group practice' has the meaning given such
term in section 1877(h)(4) of the Social Security Act.
``(ii) The term `qualifying physician' means a physician
who is licensed under State law and who meets one or more of
the following conditions:
``(I) The physician holds a subspecialty board
certification in addiction psychiatry from the American Board
of Medical Specialties.
``(II) The physician holds an addiction certification from
the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
``(III) The physician holds a subspecialty board
certification in addiction medicine from the American
Osteopathic Association.
``(IV) The physician has, with respect to the treatment and
management of opiate-dependent patients, completed not less
than eight hours of training (through classroom situations,
seminars at professional society meetings, electronic
communications, or otherwise) that is provided by the
American Society of Addiction Medicine, the American Academy
of Addiction Psychiatry, the American Medical Association,
the American Osteopathic Association, the American
Psychiatric Association, or any other organization that the
Secretary determines is appropriate for purposes of this
subclause.
``(V) The physician has participated as an investigator in
one or more clinical trials leading to the approval of a
narcotic drug in schedule III, IV, or V for maintenance or
detoxification treatment, as demonstrated by a statement
submitted to the Secretary by the sponsor of such approved
drug.
``(VI) The physician has such other training or experience
as the State medical licensing board (of the State in which
the physician will provide maintenance or detoxification
treatment) considers to demonstrate the ability of the
physician to treat and manage opiate-dependent patients.
``(VII) The physician has such other training or experience
as the Secretary considers to demonstrate the ability of the
physician to treat and manage opiate-dependent patients. Any
criteria of the Secretary under this subclause shall be
established by regulation. Any such criteria are effective
only for three years after the date on which the criteria are
promulgated, but may be extended for such additional discrete
3-year periods as the Secretary considers appropriate for
purposes of this subclause. Such an extension of criteria may
only be effectuated through a statement published in the
Federal Register by the Secretary during the 30-day period
preceding the end of the 3-year period involved.
``(H)(i) In consultation with the Administrator of the Drug
Enforcement Administration, the Administrator of the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,
the Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, the
Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the
Commissioner of Food and Drugs, the Secretary may issue
regulations (through notice and comment rulemaking) or issue
practice guidelines to address the following:
``(I) Approval of additional credentialing bodies and the
responsibilities of additional credentialing bodies.
``(II) Additional exemptions from the requirements of this
paragraph and any regulations under this paragraph.
Nothing in such regulations or practice guidelines may
authorize any Federal official or employee to exercise
supervision or control over the practice of medicine or the
manner in which medical services are provided.
``(ii) Not later than 120 days after the date of the
enactment of the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000, the
Secretary shall issue a treatment improvement protocol
containing best practice guidelines for the treatment and
maintenance of opiate-dependent patients. The Secretary shall
develop the protocol in consultation with the Director of the
National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Director of the Center
for Substance Abuse Treatment, the Administrator of the Drug
Enforcement Administration, the Commissioner of Food and
Drugs, the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration, and other substance abuse
disorder professionals. The protocol shall be guided by
science.
``(I) During the 3-year period beginning on the date of the
enactment of the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000, a
State may not preclude a qualifying physician from dispensing
or prescribing drugs in schedule III, IV, or V, or
combinations of such drugs, to patients for maintenance of
detoxification treatment in accordance with this paragraph
unless, before the expiration of that 3-year period, the
State enacts a law prohibiting a physician from dispensing
such drugs or combinations of drug.
``(J)(i) This paragraph takes effect on the date of the
enactment of the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000, and
remains in effect thereafter except as provided in clause
(iii) (relating to a decision by the Secretary or the
Attorney General that this paragraph should not remain in
effect).
``(ii) For purposes relating to clause (iii), the Secretary
and the Attorney General may, during the 3-year period
beginning on the date of the enactment of the Drug Addiction
Treatment Act of 2000, make determinations in accordance with
the following:
``(I) The Secretary may make a determination of whether
treatments provided under waivers under subparagraph (A) have
been effective forms of maintenance treatment and
detoxification treatment in clinical settings; may make a
determination of whether such waivers have significantly
increased (relative to the beginning of such period) the
availability of maintenance treatment and detoxification
treatment; and may make a determination of whether such
waivers have adverse consequences for the public health.
``(II) The Attorney General may make a determination of the
extent to which there have been violations of the numerical
limitations established under subparagraph (B) for the number
of individuals to whom a qualifying physician may provide
treatment; may make a determination of whether waivers under
subparagraph (A) have increased (relative to the beginning of
such period) the extent to which narcotic drugs in schedule
III, IV, or V or combinations of such drugs are being
dispensed or possessed in violation of this Act; and may make
a determination of whether such waivers have adverse
consequences for the public health.
``(iii) If, before the expiration of the period specified
in clause (ii), the Secretary or the Attorney General
publishes in the Federal Register a decision, made on the
basis of determinations under such clause, that this
paragraph should not remain in effect, this paragraph ceases
to be in effect 60 days after the date on which the decision
is so published. The Secretary shall in making any such
decision consult with the Attorney General, and shall in
publishing the decision in the Federal Register include any
comments received from the Attorney General for inclusion in
the publication. The Attorney General shall in making any
such decision consult with the Secretary, and shall in
publishing the decision in the Federal Register include any
comments received from the Secretary for inclusion in the
publication.''.
(b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 304 of the Controlled
Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 824) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), in the matter after and below
paragraph (5), by striking ``section 303(g)'' each place such
term appears and inserting ``section 303(g)(1)''; and
(2) in subsection (d), by striking ``section 303(g)'' and
inserting ``section 303(g)(1)''.
SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS REGARDING
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.
For the purpose of assisting the Secretary of Health and
Human Services with the additional duties established for the
Secretary pursuant to the amendments made by section 2, there
are authorized to be appropriated, in addition to other
authorizations of appropriations that are available for such
purpose, such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2000
and each subsequent fiscal year.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Bliley) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley).
General Leave
Mr. BLILEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on this legislation and to insert extraneous material on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Virginia?
There was no objection.
Mr. BLILEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2634, the Drug Addiction
Treatment Act, a bill I introduced with my colleague from Texas, the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green).
I also would like to acknowledge the other early cosponsors of this
bill: the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Oxley), the gentleman from Virginia
(Mr. Boucher), the gentleman from California (Mr. Cox), the gentleman
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood), the gentleman from North Carolina
(Mr. Coble), the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood), the gentleman
from Georgia (Mr. Deal), the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), and
the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton). Their assistance in opening up
a new
[[Page H6376]]
front in the war on drugs will be greatly appreciated by the many
American families who have been scourged by drug abuse.
Mr. Speaker, this is a bill that helps those who can least help
themselves. Let me relate some of the testimony Mr. Odis Rivers of
Detroit, Michigan, shared with the Subcommittee on Health and the
Environment of the Committee on Commerce last year. He has been
addicted to heroin for 30 years and is undergoing treatment with a drug
that this bill would help more physicians prescribe to their patients.
He told the subcommittee that he was back with his wife and family
and was enjoying the support of his family. He had won their respect
and could again assume his rightful place in their family. As the
Detroit Free Press stated on October 3 of last year, this seems like
the kind of legislation that should be passed, especially in light of
the new University of Michigan research showing that heroin use among
teens doubled from 1991 to 1998.
Narcotics traffickers in Colombia, one of the main heroin producing
countries for the United States, have been able to broaden their
consumer base by offering increasingly pure forms of the drug at lower
cost, which has broadened the reach of this drug. Heroin-related
emergency room visits have more than quadrupled within the past decade
among Americans age 12 to 17. Although the House recently approved $1.3
billion to assist Colombia in drug interdiction, we still have to be
concerned about what to do once drugs get through our borders.
This legislation will not solve the drug addiction problem. It does
not address the multiplicity of societal concerns that have led to
addiction. It does not solve all the problems that keep individuals and
families enslaved and encumbered by addiction, but it makes a start.
I ask my colleagues to help someone in their community break from
heroin. Join me in voting for H.R. 2634.
Mr. Speaker, I want to also take this opportunity to thank the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), the chairman of the Committee on
the Judiciary, for his assistance in bringing this legislation to the
floor. I am including in the Record an exchange of correspondence
between our two committees regarding H.R. 2634.
House of Representatives,
Committee on the Judiciary,
Washington, DC, October 25, 1999.
Hon. Tom Bliley,
Chairman, House Commerce Committee,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Bliley: I am writing to you concerning the
bill H.R. 2634, the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 1999.
As you know, this bill contains language which falls within
the Rule X jurisdiction of this committee relating to the
Controlled Substances Act. I understand that you would like
to proceed expeditiously to the floor on this matter. I am
willing to waive our committee's right to mark up this bill.
However, this, of course, does not waive our jurisdiction
over the subject matter on this or similar legislation, or
our desire to be conferees on this bill should it be subject
to a House-Senate conference committee.
I would appreciate your placing this exchange of letters in
the Congressional Record. Thank you for your cooperation on
this matter.
Sincerely,
Henry J. Hyde,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Commerce,
Washington, DC, October 21, 1999.
Hon. Henry Hyde,
Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Henry: Thank you for your letter regarding your
Committee's jurisdictional interest in H.R. 2634, the Drug
Addiction Treatment Act of 1999.
I acknowledge your committee's jurisdiction over this
legislation and appreciate your cooperation in moving the
bill to the House floor expeditiously. I agree that your
decision to forego further action on the bill will not
prejudice the Judiciary Committee with respect to its
jurisdictional prerogatives on this or similar legislation,
and will support your request for conferees on those
provisions within the Committee on the Judiciary's
jurisdiction should they be the subject of a House-Senate
conference. I will also include a copy of your letter and
this response in the Committee's report on the bill and the
Congressional Record when the legislation is considered by
the House.
Thank you again for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Tom Bliley,
Chairman.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume, and I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia for turning
his attention to the issue of addiction and for providing this body an
opportunity to focus on it. Addiction is the number one killer in the
United States.
As it happens, the substance that lends addiction that distinction is
not heroin but tobacco. Tobacco is responsible for 400,000 deaths a
year. Regardless of the substance, though, the message is the same:
addiction can kill. The Nation is well served by efforts to combat
addiction to killer substances like heroin and tobacco.
I appreciate the gentleman's interest in the heroin treatment
initiative contained in this bill. I fully support the spirit of the
bill as captured in its title. To win the war against drugs, however,
we need to pay as much attention to the demand side of the equation as
we do to the supply side. Fighting drugs means fighting drug producers
and drug dealers. It also means preventing addiction, and it means
treating addiction. In the context of this bill, that means expanding
treatment options for heroin addiction.
{time} 1045
Last week, 600,000 Americans used heroin. Last year, 80,000 people
were admitted to hospital emergency rooms around the country because of
heroin.
There is wide agreement among researchers that heroin is the most
underreported of all controlled substances in terms of usage. Some
researchers believe as many as three million Americans are heroin
abusers. And increasingly, those users are younger and younger.
In 1980, a street bag of heroin was 4 percent pure. Today the average
street bag ranges from 40 to 70 percent purity. The drug is stronger.
It can be introduced in the body in more ways and still produce a high.
Teenagers who would normally shy away from injecting heroin perceive
snorting and inhaling as a safe means of using heroin. They do not
think it can kill them. They do not even think it can make an addict of
them. They are wrong. Those misconceptions are beginning to show up in
the statistics.
Substance abuse counselors are reporting it has been years since they
have seen so many cases of heroin addiction among teenagers and young
adults.
Buprenorphine can be part of the solution, but there is more to it
than that. If we want to fight heroin addiction, if we want to fight
drug addiction, we need to reauthorize the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Agency, or SAMHSA.
SAMHSA has one of the most difficult jobs of any Federal agency, to
reduce the demand for illicit drugs and in that way to save lives.
I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of legislation to
reauthorize SAMHSA, H.R. 4867, introduced by my colleague the
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps).
Mr. Speaker, by reauthorizing SAMHSA this year, we can secure the
foundation upon which the success of H.R. 2634 and other legislation
devoted to the treatment of drug addiction depends. It is fortunate,
then, that the author of H.R. 2634, my respected colleague the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) is in a position to influence
whether this body takes action on the bill that the gentlewoman from
California (Mrs. Capps) has introduced.
The bill of the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) is a modest and
a good step. CBO estimates that it may help 10,000 low-income addicts
receive treatment. Unfortunately, the need for heroin treatment
surpasses that figure 30 fold.
The gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) I hope will fulfill the
promise of H.R. 2634 by working to ensure committee consideration and
passage of the SAMHSA reauthorization bill offered by the gentlewoman
from California (Mrs. Capps) on a timely basis before we go home.
With all due respect and gratitude to my friend from Virginia, the
real drug addiction treatment act is the SAMHSA reauthorization.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2634, the
Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 1999.
H.R. 2634 is designed to amend specific sections of the Controlled
Substances Act for practitioners who dispense narcotic drugs as part of
a treatment program. In doing this, it
[[Page H6377]]
seeks to assist qualified physicians in treating their addicted
patients, to speed up approval of narcotic drugs for addiction
treatment purposes, and offers treatment options for those Americans
for whom other treatment programs are financially out of reach.
This legislation waives the current regulation that physicians obtain
the prior approval of the Drug Enforcement Administration, to receive
the endorsement of State and regulatory authorities, and dispense only
drugs that have been pre-approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
This waiver process only applies to those registered physicians who are
qualified to dispense controlled substances to treat opiate-dependent
patients.
The bill contains a number of safeguards that are designed to prevent
abuses of the waiver procedure. The Secretary of Health and Human
Services may deny access to the waiver process for any drug the
Secretary determines may require more stringent physician qualification
standards or more narrowly defined restrictions on the quantities of
drugs that may be dispensed for unsupervised use. Physicians also face
losing their registration status or even criminal prosecution for
violations of the waiver process. Finally, after 3 years, the Attorney
General and the Secretary may end availability of the waiver if they
determine the process has had adverse public health consequences or to
the extent it has led to violations of the Controlled Substances Act.
Mr. Speaker, drug treatment programs form an important component of
our national war on drugs. In order for this war to be effective, both
demand and supply must be reduced simultaneously. Treatment programs
can be an effective method of reducing demand, but require enormous
commitment on the part of both doctor and patient. This is especially
true for those addicted to opiate narcotics.
This legislation will make it easier for doctors to treat those
difficult addiction cases, without permitting gross abuses of the
waiver system. The end goal is more successful treatment programs, with
shorter durations and lower recidivism rates.
It is important that we utilize all available tools in the war
against drugs. For this reason, I urge my colleagues to lend their
support to H.R. 2634.
Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2634, the Drug
Addiction Treatment Act. I want to acknowledge the leadership and
effort on this issue that has been put forth by my good friend and
colleague from the other body, Senator Carl Levin. His longstanding
interest and acknowledged expertise in the development of effective
treatments for drug addiction have been important influences in my
deliberations on this matter. I thank him.
Indeed, the language before us contains a number of changes to the
bill reported out of the Commerce Committee. These changes reflect
provisions adopted and passed by the Senate and represent improvements
in the bill.
Mr. Speaker, none of us should leave here thinking that we have done
as much as we should to tackle the scourge of drug addiction in this
country. Statistics on heroin addiction alone show that interdiction is
not completely effective. The advent of narcotic treatments such as
buprenorphine are important tools in the panoply of strategies to meet
and defeat the drug addiction problem. The bill before us is a modest
measure and I challenge us to do more, much more, before we adjourn
this session.
Mr. Speaker, my colleague and good friend, Representative Capps has
introduced legislation to reauthorize programs administered by the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). I
urge swift action on this bill. SAMHSA provides the crucial safety net
of programs for those who lack the means to obtain treatment elsewhere.
Importantly, SAMHSA's programs address virtually all addiction issues
and are not limited to the heroin alone. SAMHSA also provides important
prevention programs, unlike the bill before us today. SAMHSA's programs
also address co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders.
Finally, SAMHSA provides the resources necessary for many of those
who are in the ``treatment gap'' to obtain needed services. Today we
will hear about stigmas and red tape. In my view, the most significant
factor in the treatment gap is lack of adequate resources for those who
need treatment. The promise of buprenorphine will be lost on low income
persons unless we provide access to treatment for them. The bill before
us does not address this important issue, however, Representative
Capps' bill does, so I hope we will move as expeditiously on that
legislation as we are on this legislation. Chairman Bliley and Chairman
Bilirakis both promised action on SAMHSA during the hearing and markup
of H.R. 2436. Today I remind them of that promise and express my hope
that they will take up Representative Capps' bill as soon as possible.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2634, and I
commend Chairman Bliley for introducing it and shepherding it to the
floor of the House today.
As a family physician, living and working in a district that is
medically underserved, I often had to provide coverage to the Methadone
Program in our Department of Health. I saw first hand how the use of
such drugs could provide an option for treatment which would allow
persons suffering from heroin addiction to reconcile with their
families, return to work and live productive lives once again.
I also saw how under some circumstances, the need to travel distances
on a daily basis to be medicated was in direct conflict with
requirements in the workplace, and how it hampered the full reentry of
some patients into society.
Drug addiction plagues many in our communities. It destroys
individuals, families and undermines those communities. IV drug use,
often associated with heroin use, also transmits the HIV virus and thus
contributes to the scourge of AIDS.
Today, addicted persons seeking treatment are often turned away. This
bill will enable more people to receive treatment, and it will save
lives, heal families and support wholesome communities.
I am pleased to support H.R. 2634, and I ask my colleagues to support
its passage.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BLILEY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
urge adoption of the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my
time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Isakson). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2634, as amended.
The question was taken.
Mr. BLILEY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
____________________