[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 21 (Monday, February 9, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S846-S847]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         BOTTICELLI NOMINATION

  Mr. MARKEY. Madam President, I rise to speak in support of Michael 
Botticelli in our effort today to confirm him as Director of the Office 
of National Drug Control Policy.
  The State of Massachusetts, like too many other regions of this 
Nation, is being ravaged by the scourge of prescription drug and heroin 
addiction that is breaking apart families and burying communities under 
a mountain of despair. Massachusetts experienced 114 deaths in 
December, and that doesn't count our biggest cities, such as Boston and 
Worcester and Springfield.
  Drug overdose deaths fueled by prescription pain killers now claim 
more lives than car accidents nationwide. Approximately 100 Americans 
die from an overdose every day.
  As a Senator from Massachusetts, I have a deep appreciation and 
respect for Michael Botticelli's accomplishments addressing addiction 
during his nearly two decades serving in the Massachusetts Department 
of Public Health. He is a public health and drug policy pioneer, and he 
lived in my hometown of Malden, MA, while he did this job.
  Immediately prior to joining the Office of National Drug Control 
Policy as Deputy Director, Mr. Botticelli was the director of the 
Bureau of Substance Abuse Services at the Massachusetts

[[Page S847]]

Department of Public Health. While he was there, he pioneered 
innovative, effective approaches to substance abuse challenges. He was 
responsible for launching a program that expanded treatment and 
recovery opportunities in local community health centers, including a 
focus on providing a continuum of care for those suffering with 
substance use disorders. Mr. Botticelli also expanded innovative and 
nationally recognized prevention strategies. He established and 
implemented evidence-based jail diversion programs, reentry services 
for those leaving State and county correctional facilities, and 
overdose prevention programs.
  Although there is always more work to be done, it is because of Mr. 
Botticelli's efforts and the legacy he left behind that Massachusetts 
is in many ways a national leader in addressing the prescription and 
heroin abuse epidemic.
  Mr. Botticelli has been very public about his personal history of 
struggling with an alcohol use disorder as a young professional and 
seeking help that has led him into long-term recovery. He recently 
celebrated 26 years of sobriety, and I applaud him for that.
  Mr. Botticelli's personal life experiences have provided him a unique 
perspective on the epidemic facing our Nation. When he joined me at a 
recent roundtable I convened in Boston about this crisis, he spoke 
about it in human terms. He reminded us that there is a family, a loved 
one, a friend, or a child behind each and every one of these 
statistics. His openness about his own struggles and his path to 
recovery helped shed much needed light on the issue of addiction, which 
has lurked too long in the shadows of shame and stigma. I think his 
story helps others to seek treatment and begin a life of recovery. He 
truly is leading by his own personal example.
  The drug problems facing our country have changed dramatically since 
the Office of National Drug Control Policy was created in 1988. Mr. 
Botticelli has an excellent understanding of the mission of this 
office, the changing needs of the addiction community, and the urgency 
for solutions to halting the rise of substance use disorders in this 
country. I believe he is going to make a superlative Director, bringing 
his strong heart, keen mind, and Malden, MA, roots to the Office of 
National Drug Control Policy. I am honored to speak in support of his 
nomination on the floor today and look forward to working with him in 
the years to come. I recommend in the strongest possible terms Michael 
Botticelli for the Office of Director of the Office of National Drug 
Control Policy.
  I yield back the remainder of my time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.

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