[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 6, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H88-H94]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           FACES OF ADDICTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 2015, the gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Kuster) is 
recognized for half the time remaining before 10 p.m. as the designee 
of the minority leader.
  Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, this evening I rise as the co-chair of the 
Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic to call upon my 
colleagues to refocus our efforts on bringing an end to the opioid 
epidemic that continues to threaten communities all across New 
Hampshire and across this country.
  The opioid epidemic has grown to historic proportions. Our medical 
providers are struggling to keep up with the flow of overdoses entering 
our clinics and to secure treatment for those who need it.
  Our law enforcement, as first responders, have taken on the burden of 
responding to more and more potentially dangerous situations when a 
call for help comes in, and these calls are becoming more and more 
frequent. Statistics now show that more Americans die from drug 
overdoses than do in car crashes in this country.
  In my home State of New Hampshire, the opioid epidemic continues to 
grow. In 2015 alone, the total number of drug deaths in the Granite 
State exceeded 400, more than one per day, far surpassing the current 
record of fatalities set just last year at 324.
  There is no doubt that these numbers are staggering. But behind each 
and every one of these numbers is a daughter or a son, a mother or a 
father, a community leader or a neighbor whose life was precious and 
whose death has inflicted terrible pain on loved ones.
  For every life lost, there are also many more individuals and 
families whose lives have been forever changed by opioid misuse. We 
must never forget or overlook what each number represents.
  As the epidemic has continued to infiltrate communities across New 
Hampshire and New England, experts and advocates have risen to 
challenge opioid abuse in a number of important ways and sometimes from 
unexpected places.
  My dear friend Kriss and I have known each other for years now, and 
she has taken it upon herself to be a champion of this issue. Through 
her unique position as a premier cosmetologist in the State and the 
make-up artist of choice for many of the Presidential candidates that 
pass through New Hampshire during primary season, Kriss has forced a 
conversation about the need to end the opioid epidemic onto the 
national stage.
  Kriss has emerged as a leader on the issue back home, and she and her 
husband, Mark, continue to display remarkable courage and strength as 
she shares the story of her stepdaughter, Amber, who is with me here 
today in this Chamber, who lost her life to a heroin overdose.
  Kriss' hope is that her experience might help and enact real change. 
So with Kriss' and Mark's blessing tonight, it is my honor to share 
Amber's story with you.
  As Kriss puts it, Amber was the girl who helped everyone else. But, 
tragically, she could not help herself once she took that first drug at 
the young age of 15.
  As Amber's stepmother, Kriss came into her life when she turned 17. 
At that point, Amber had already passed through the gateway drugs of 
over-the-counter Benadryl, marijuana, alcohol, and prescription opiates 
that were available on the streets.

                              {time}  2030

  She suffered from untreated bipolar disorder, but she did not have 
access to the appropriate medication and, like so many others, was left 
uncomfortable in her own skin, self-prescribing medication to find 
relief.
  In Kriss' words, Amber was a girl hard to catch. She chose ``life on 
the run.''
  When she found herself living on the streets, she would help others 
by giving them the coat off her back, panhandling to buy food, or 
helping others as they detoxed from heroin while homeless.
  By age 20, she took her first hit of heroin and became spellbound by 
it. It made choices for her. She had the opportunity to have a loving 
home, an education, and parents that could support her recovery, but 
her addiction led her to a life of homelessness on the streets of 
Manchester, New Hampshire.
  After four incarcerations in the last 2 years of her life for heroin 
possession and prostitution, she was a victim of trafficking on the 
streets of Manchester to maintain her high.
  When incarcerated and craving treatment, a bed finally became 
available for Amber at a wonderful treatment center in New Hampshire, 
but, meanwhile, the prison would not let her out. The prison itself 
offered no recovery. When she was released, the bed was no longer 
available. Amber even had to lie to the emergency room to get help by 
saying, ``I want to kill myself.''
  She detoxed in that hospital, but no recovery aftercare was 
available. Kriss and her husband, Mark, brought Amber home, and on the 
third night, she fled home leaving them a note that said, ``I have to 
go back to my people.''
  The last time that Kriss and Mark saw her was Easter Sunday. She was 
high, vacant, and the drug had consumed her soul. Three days later she 
was found in an alley dead of a heroin overdose. She was 22 years old.
  Her death would be easy to blame on institutional failure to ensure 
that those in need can access resources or on a general lack of empathy 
for individuals crippled by addiction. Kriss and Mark have made a 
conscious effort to use Amber's life, her death, and her ongoing 
vibrant spirit to wake up the hearts and minds of those who have the 
power to change fate.
  Tonight, I share Amber's heart-wrenching story in the hopes that we 
can all recognize opioid abuse is not a disease singular to a certain 
socioeconomic group or race or region. It can take hold of anyone.
  Amber's parents have been incredibly brave to share her story and to 
come to Washington to push for reform. We need to erase the stigma from 
substance abuse disorder, and we need to be far more honest and 
productive considering the effect on daughters or sons, mothers or 
fathers.
  That is why tonight we called our colleagues together for this 
Special Order so that we can speak from both sides of the aisle and 
share the lives of friends and loved ones. It is my intention that by 
honoring those we have lost and by acknowledging the complexities of 
opioid abuse and the human lives that are behind these fatalities, we 
can come together to convey the urgency behind bringing an end to the 
opioid epidemic.
  I yield to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Guinta).
  Mr. GUINTA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join bipartisan Members, Republicans and 
Democrats from around the country, to talk about heroin use, an 
increasingly deadly public health crisis. I welcome Kriss and Mark from 
New Hampshire, who are here today to honor the life of Mark's daughter.
  A special thank-you to Congresswoman Ann Kuster, my fellow Granite 
Stater and partner on our Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin 
Epidemic. We formed this task force last year to bring attention to 
opiate addiction and overdose spreading nationwide. Now over 40 House 
Members have joined our task force and this cause.
  We aim to inform not just members of the public, but the Nation about 
the tragedies and the challenges that face our families, our 
communities, our States, our loved ones, and our friends. We are here 
not just to combat this epidemic, but bring solutions not just to this 
body, but to every area of the Nation.
  Congresswoman Kuster and I have held a roundtable with addiction and 
law enforcement experts in Concord, New Hampshire, our home State. We

[[Page H89]]

held a subsequent policy briefing in Washington, D.C., featuring 
officials from the Drug Enforcement Agency, Centers for Disease 
Control, and other Federal agencies.
  They are providing a fuller picture of the scope of the problem, 
which in New Hampshire has claimed 400 lives in 2015. To put that 
figure in perspective, 1 out of every 3,000 people have died of a 
heroin overdose just last year. The CDC reports that, nationally, 
overdose deaths have tripled over the last 10 years. These numbers, 
unfortunately, are likely to rise.
  But numbers don't tell the whole story. To truly illustrate the 
dangers of heroin use, we need to hear from fathers like Doug Griffin 
of Newton in New Hampshire's First Congressional District. At a forum 
yesterday in Manchester, New Hampshire, where I proudly served as 
mayor, he told the audience about his daughter Courtney, who fell 
victim to heroin at just 20 years young.
  Doug remembers his daughter as an exuberant young girl who had a 
great sense of humor and a passion for life until a mix of prescription 
pills, fentanyl, and street heroin ensnared Courtney--like millions of 
other Americans--in a fatal web of addiction. Before the drugs overcame 
her, she played music and she loved s'mores.
  She wanted to be a marine and trained for it. But just 3 years later, 
Courtney was lost on the streets, in and out of rehab facilities. She 
no longer had the will to live. Because Courtney's situation was so 
dire, because it seemed like they had so few options, Doug said he and 
his family hid the truth from the outside world. Bravely, Doug is now 
telling everyone he knows about the warning signs of heroin addiction 
and deficiencies in our public response.
  Tonight is about telling the truth in order to build momentum towards 
better solutions. It is about putting political disagreements aside, 
because the heroin epidemic crosses party lines. It crosses every 
congressional district in the United States.
  The truth is addiction strikes every demographic and every geographic 
region. There are too many stories like Courtney's. However, we also 
have a wealth of ideas to combat this problem. Congresswoman Kuster and 
I formed the Bipartisan Task Force to gather those stories and ideas 
and assemble them into effective legislation.
  We introduced the STOP ABUSE Act as the first order of business to 
coordinate law enforcement and public health agencies at the Federal, 
State, and local levels. The bill targets high-intensity drug 
trafficking areas for special attention. Newton, New Hampshire, where 
Doug Griffin's daughter died of an overdose, lies on such a route just 
north of the Massachusetts border.
  The STOP ABUSE Act creates a stronger prescription pill monitoring 
program. In fact, it was overprescribed legal opiates that hooked 
Courtney in the first place. Personally, I have introduced legislation 
to increase access to lifesaving overdose medication.
  The STOP ABUSE Act includes treatment and prevention grants to 
localities overwhelmed by the scale of addiction, as my colleagues 
gathered here tonight will continue to tell you. They have their own 
stories and their own ideas to share. I am grateful for their 
partnership and leadership as we work together to combat heroin abuse 
in the United States.
  Ms. KUSTER. Thank you, Mr. Guinta.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts 
(Mr. Neal).
  (Mr. NEAL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. NEAL. First, Mr. Speaker, I want to call attention to the efforts 
that have been made by Congresswoman Kuster and Congressman Guinta. 
When Congresswoman Kuster approached me on this issue, I was all too 
happy to join in. I think that the perseverance that she has offered in 
the early days on this is, I think, a challenge for all of us across 
New England, because what has happened across New England now is 
gripping in terms of the attention that this issue has drawn.
  But I want to call attention specifically to a very important case in 
which there is an individual whom I had a chance to witness his 
testimony. At the same time, I intend to quote liberally from the 
Springfield Republican, which is the paper of record for western 
Massachusetts.
  I want to call attention tonight to a former Ludlow, Massachusetts, 
police lieutenant, Thomas Foye. Lieutenant Foye had a strong upbringing 
with supportive parents, a college education, a good marriage, three 
children, and a long career as a lieutenant in the Ludlow Police 
Department.
  The 50-year-old was a longtime head of the detective bureau and even 
served on an FBI task force. He arrested many drug addicts and 
responded frequently to overdoses. He was at the scene of many drug-
related suicides. He warned schoolchildren about the dangers of drugs. 
He was even an official who had been elected to the Ludlow School 
Committee.
  That was, however, until he got addicted to OxyContin pills following 
shoulder surgery. Two surgeries and more pain medication prescriptions 
later, Lieutenant Foye found himself admitting that he was addicted.
  After trying to quit on his own multiple times and suffering 
sickening withdrawals, he turned to his doctor for help. The same 
doctor who had originally prescribed him OxyContin now prescribed him 
more pills to both wean him off the painkillers and to put an end to 
his sickness.
  When none of that worked, Foye admits that he broke the law and began 
to acquire pills illegally, taking them straight from his police 
department's own evidence room. When he was arrested in his office at 
the Ludlow Police Department in 2013, he was charged with tampering 
with substances, two counts of possession of a class B substance--
cocaine and OxyContin--and two counts of larceny of a drug. 
Subsequently, he was sentenced to 2 years in jail.
  He said that it was not fear, dread, or panic that he felt when the 
investigation finally came to a head; rather, he felt relief. He now 
would be able to get help.
  He talks about the police officer who stayed with him in the detox 
facility following his arrest. ``Some day I want to be that guy,'' he 
said. ``There needs to be some dignity in drug addiction treatment.''
  Lieutenant Foye was lucky in the sense that he survived his addiction 
and is telling his story to help others. Those who have not survived, 
including eight people this weekend in my congressional district in a 
very small geographic area, died from a lethal string of heroin that 
was identified as the Hollywood brand.
  The Opioid Overdose Reduction Act of 2015 would exempt from civil 
liability emergency administration of opioid overdose-reversing drugs, 
like naloxone, by people who prescribe or are prescribed them. Senator 
Markey has offered the same legislation down the hallway in the United 
States Senate.
  When an opioid overdose occurs, administration of an opioid-reversal 
drug is necessary to prevent death, but it must occur within a certain 
window of time before the chance of survival is lost. This is a time of 
quick action, not deliberations or a potential lawsuit.
  Every day, 120 people die as a result of drug overdoses fueled by 
prescription painkillers, and another 6,748 are treated in emergency 
rooms for the misuse or abuse of illegal drugs. According to The 
Washington Post, ``overdosing is now the leading cause of accidental 
death in the United States, accounting for more deaths than traffic 
fatalities or gun homicides and suicides. Fatal overdoses from opiate 
medications such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone have 
quadrupled since 1999, accounting for an estimated 16,651 deaths in 
2010.''
  It is time to bring a face to those affected by addiction and stop 
the epidemic in communities across this country.
  I want to close as I started with a note of congratulations to Ms. 
Kuster and to Mr. Guinta for calling attention to what is really 
happening across New England now. We need to be mindful of the lives 
that are being destroyed and the families that are succumbing to this 
torture over long, long periods of time trying to treat those who are 
addicted and to make sure they get adequate help.
  Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Rothfus).

[[Page H90]]

  

  Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Hampshire 
(Mr. Guinta) and the gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Kuster) for 
organizing this Special Order this evening, and also for the 
participation with the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin 
Epidemic; and to also recognize the individuals from New Hampshire, 
Kriss and Mark, who came down, and for the bravery in sharing the story 
of Amber and how it is important for all of us to be reflecting on this 
very serious crisis that we have.
  Many of our communities have been hit hard by the opioid abuse 
epidemic. Like other regions of the country, this brutal epidemic is 
affecting western Pennsylvania, destroying lives, breaking up families, 
and claiming far too many of our loved ones.
  Vonda Probst from Friedens, Pennsylvania, knows firsthand the 
devastating reality of losing a loved one to drugs. Nearly 2 years have 
passed since Ms. Probst lost her son, Jared Carter, to a heroin 
overdose. Jared enjoyed motorcycle riding, four-wheeling, fixing old 
cars, and just being outdoors. He would have turned 30 this last 
summer.

                              {time}  2045

  There are far too many stories like Jared's in Pennsylvania and 
throughout our Nation, lives full of potential and value that are cut 
short by drug abuse.
  According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, last year alone 
there were well over 10,000 heroin overdose deaths. This number 
reflects a six-fold increase in the number of heroin deaths since 2001.
  In my State of Pennsylvania alone, drug overdose deaths have 
increased by 470 percent over the past two decades, and heroin and 
opioids are increasingly to blame. These drugs have been responsible 
for the loss of nearly 3,000 lives in our State in just the last 5 
years.
  Parts of the 12th District have been especially hard hit as heroin 
use is the leading cause of accidental deaths. In fact, in 2012, there 
were a record 261 drug overdose deaths in Allegheny County, which is 
more than Allegheny County's traffic fatalities and homicides put 
together and is 30 percent higher than the State average. In Cambria 
County, the drug overdose death rate is nearly double the State 
average.
  These statistics are horrifying, but behind the numbers are people 
and tragedy. Every heroin-related death cuts short a valuable human 
life that should have ended with a much brighter and a much later 
chapter. Every American who dies from a drug overdose is a person who 
had dignity and potential. Without adequate assistance, however, each 
one did not have hope.
  It is time to turn a new page in order to proactively defeat this 
deadly epidemic with renewed dedication. As a member of the Bipartisan 
Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic, I am strongly committed to 
ending this scourge.
  We need to find new ways to combat this crisis and to continue 
learning from our community-based organizations on how they are 
providing help on the front lines. I have worked with local leaders in 
my district, such as Reverend Sylvia King, the pastor and founder of 
Johnstown's Christ Centered Community Church, which provides drug 
recovery services and counseling. I have also worked with local law 
enforcement and other treatment groups to make sure the necessary 
resources are available to help those in need.
  Here in Congress we also need to be looking at legislative responses 
to help address this issue. In the past, I have supported increased 
funding for the Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, which 
provides resources and support for heroin victims through prevention 
and education programs as well as drug treatment and enforcement.
  I am also a cosponsor of legislation that has been introduced by 
Representatives Susan Brooks and Joe Kennedy--the Heroin and 
Prescription Opioid Abuse Prevention, Education, and Enforcement Act--
to reauthorize the Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs that are so 
critical to local law enforcement efforts, to increase access to the 
life-saving opioid reversal drug Naloxone, and to raise public provider 
and patient awareness of opioid drugs and their link to heroin.
  We must remember heroin's victims, such as Jared Carter and so many 
other like him, who have lost their lives. Let's galvanize the support 
necessary to stop these tragedies. We must be mindful in that people, 
as they watch this discussion this evening, may know somebody who is 
hurting right now, somebody in need. It may be somebody, himself, who 
is watching.
  Get help. Reach out. Don't do this alone.
  I thank the gentleman from New Hampshire, and I thank the gentlewoman 
from New Hampshire for organizing this Special Order. I look forward to 
continuing to work back home and here in D.C. to address this crisis.
  Mr. GUINTA. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for sharing that 
heartfelt story as well as the challenges that your community is 
facing.
  Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois 
(Mrs. Bustos).
  Mrs. BUSTOS. I thank the gentlewoman from New Hampshire for yielding 
time on this critically important issue.
  I also thank the gentlewoman and Congressman Guinta for pulling this 
Special Order together and for their hard work on the Bipartisan Task 
Force to address this heroin epidemic.
  Mr. Speaker, as the heroin epidemic sweeps the Nation, too many 
families and communities are mourning the deaths of loved ones who have 
been lost over the years due to heroin addiction and addiction to 
painkillers. One of the lives we lost not too long ago was in a town 
called Rockford, Illinois, which is in the heart of my congressional 
district.
  The gentleman's name was Chris Boseman. He was 32 years old when he 
died in the summer of 2014. He was a kind, tender-hearted son and 
brother. He had a back injury that led to his addiction to pain 
medication.
  When he could no longer get relief from that pain medication, he 
began to buy different kinds of pain relief on the street. As the costs 
would add up, his dealer told him about something called heroin and 
that he could get this for $10.
  After his first overdose, Chris tried hard to fight his addiction. He 
had a couple of relapses, but it appeared that he had been successful 
in overcoming this addiction.
  He enrolled at Rock Valley College, a community college, where he 
studied construction management. He was 1 year away from graduating. No 
one knew that he was still fighting this battle because he was ashamed 
of it. One night he was home alone--he was just over 1 year clean--when 
he relapsed again and died.
  The sad thing is that Chris' story is all too common. In fact, I lost 
a member of my own family to the heroin epidemic when my brother-in-
law's son died after overdosing on heroin in the summer of 2013.
  He was not the kind of kid one would think would be taking something 
like heroin. His dad had no idea. His family had no idea. He was a 
college football player. He was a musician. He was an avid weight 
lifter and was just a red-headed kid who was fun to be around.
  Yet, when he injured his back and his knee and felt that he needed 
more than just aspirin and a little physical therapy to overcome this 
pain, he got on painkillers. As we are telling these stories this 
evening, this eventually led to his trying heroin as a way to relieve 
his pain. It was probably, they thought, the third time that he took 
heroin. He ingested what would be considered pure heroin, and he died.
  I am here to say that we can no longer sit on the sidelines while 
folks in our communities and our family members are suffering and are 
dying, when parents are burying their children, and when the men and 
women who are struggling with this addiction are crying out for help.
  We also know that heroin use is increasing among young people, 
especially in my home State of Illinois, with a nearly 50 percent 
increase in the use of heroin just in the last several years.
  In Winnebago County, which is where Rockford is, which I was talking 
about earlier, there were 51 heroin-related deaths in 2013 alone. In 
Peoria, which is also in the heart of my congressional

[[Page H91]]

district, emergency responders see at least one heroin overdose every 
single day.
  Perhaps the most troubling is not just this rapid increase in the 
usage or in the rising number of overdoses, but in our inability to 
treat those who need it the most. While heroin use is increasing 
rapidly in every region of my home State, there has been a dramatic 
decrease in the availability of treatment. In fact, Illinois ranked 
worst--last in the Nation--in the overall decline in treatment 
capacity.

  While we are at the height of this heroin epidemic, last year our 
Governor proposed a budget that would cut our already inadequate State-
funded treatment programs by 60 percent.
  To make matters worse, the ongoing budget crisis in Illinois has 
gutted the funding for treatment programs like one in my district of 
Rockford. It is called Remedies Renewing Lives. That is why next week, 
when the President gives his State of the Union, my guest will be a guy 
named Gary Halbach, who is the president of Remedies.
  It is so he can witness the State of the Union and so he can talk 
about the important work that he and his colleagues at Remedies are 
doing every single day. Under the pressure of tremendous budgetary 
shortfalls, Gary and his team have been on the front lines in providing 
treatment to heroin addicts and support for victims of domestic 
violence.
  We will not end the heroin epidemic if the programs that have been 
proven to help continue to be undermined and significantly underfunded. 
We cannot turn a blind eye to the families and to the communities that 
have been affected by the heroin epidemic. They deserve better. They 
deserve solutions.
  Ms. KUSTER. For the record, this concept of bringing the faces of 
addiction to the floor of the House was the idea of the gentlewoman 
from Illinois. I thank her for that.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg).
  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak 
tonight. As I stepped to the podium, I noticed two of the values that 
America has etched into or has carved into the Speaker's rostrum, 
``liberty'' and then, to my left, ``peace.''
  They are two values that we hold dear; yet, they are two values that 
are lost to people when they come under the cruel, cruel domination of 
heroin and other opiates. So it is good for us to talk about this 
tonight but, more importantly, for us to do something about it.
  I thank Congressman Guinta, Congresswoman Kuster, and my colleagues 
who are participating in this Special Order, which highlights the 
ongoing epidemic of heroin and prescription drug abuse.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a member of the Bipartisan Task Force to 
Combat the Heroin Epidemic in order to discuss a growing public health 
crisis in the United States and, more personally, to discuss a crisis 
occurring in my home district, the Michigan Seventh.
  You see, we can talk statistics over and over again, but, really, 
this is all about lives: friends, family, neighbors, people who are 
highly respected, and people whom we wouldn't know. Yet, they are 
impacted. The tragic stories of prescription drug abuse and fatal 
overdoses hit close to home in far too many Michigan communities.
  Through September of this year, Washtenaw County, the home of the 
University of Michigan, suffered 41 opioid overdose deaths.
  Local law enforcement officials in Monroe County--the gateway to 
Michigan from Ohio--believe the number of heroin overdose deaths in 
2015 will top those in 2014.
  In Jackson County, which is in the center of the State, the total 
number of drug overdoses has nearly tripled in the last 5 years. In 
2015, 131 overdoses were reported.
  These are troubling statistics, but, again, they are about lives, 
people. Behind these numbers are real individuals and families who have 
been affected by this tragic epidemic.
  On May 17, 2010, Andrew Hirst died of a heroin overdose at the age of 
24. For his father, Mike Hirst, a respected businessperson in Jackson, 
Michigan, this tragic loss has led him to dedicate himself to stopping 
heroin overdoses in the Jackson area by sharing the experience of his 
son's death and the life of his family.
  For the past 5 years, Mike has counseled addicts, supported families, 
and mentored at-risk youths away from heroin and opiate drugs through 
his foundation, Andy's Angels. In addition, he has led educational 
efforts to inform people of the link between prescription opioid use 
and heroin addiction.
  He has also teamed up with local police agencies to investigate 
heroin dealers in order to eliminate access points for this deadly 
drug. In recognizing his tireless efforts, the Jackson Citizen Patriot 
newspaper recently named Mike Hirst their Citizen of the Year.
  Fortunately, Mike is not alone in this fight. Across Michigan's 
Seventh District, communities are ramping up education and prevention 
efforts as well as enforcement strategies. For example, Monroe County 
recently held its third annual Prescription Drug Abuse and Heroin 
Summit.
  Jackson County held its second drug summit in December, and the 
County Prosecutor's Office plans to host a series of additional 
meetings in 2016. I applaud them for that.
  Local efforts to raise awareness and to fight this growing epidemic 
are also underway in Branch, Eaton, Hillsdale, Lenawee, and Washtenaw 
Counties. Fighting against heroin and opioid abuse will take the work 
of citizens, treatment providers, law enforcement, and elected 
officials at every level, including each of us.
  In Congress, we must continue to pursue legislative solutions to 
improve the coordination between Federal agencies and the States and to 
equip our first responders on the front lines.
  Just as importantly, Mr. Speaker, we can promote awareness in our 
communities and support those who have been affected by this crisis.
  Tonight's speeches aim to raise the profile of this issue, to 
increase education, and to honor people like Mike Hirst who are 
fighting to save others from the dangers of drug overdoses and to bring 
liberty and peace back to people's lives.
  Mr. GUINTA. I thank the gentleman from Michigan for outlining, 
through the lens of liberty and peace, the challenge that Andrew Hirst 
and his father, Mike, have endured. My heart is with them and with your 
constituents.
  I also want to thank you for your hard work on the Bipartisan Task 
Force. I look forward to your continuing leadership in Michigan and 
here in Washington, D.C.
  Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the remaining time?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from New Hampshire has 13 
minutes remaining.

                              {time}  2100

  Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Tonko).
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman and the gentleman 
from New Hampshire, our colleagues who have made available this Special 
Order this evening through the auspices of the Bipartisan Task Force to 
Combat the Heroin Epidemic.
  As co-chair of a similar panel, the bipartisan caucus that addresses 
the disease of addiction, it is important, I believe, to share 
information and encourage response out there from the general public to 
drive the policy process here in Washington.
  According to SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the use 
of heroin has almost tripled in the past 8 years, going from 161,000 in 
2007 to some 435,000 in 2014. Much of what is fueling this epidemic has 
been the proliferation of stronger and stronger prescription drug 
painkillers. Many individuals first get addicted to these prescription 
drugs and then turn to heroin as a cheaper alternative.
  One in 15 people who take prescription pain relievers for a 
nonmedical use will try heroin within 10 years. These statistics are 
sobering and require a degree of response, an ultimate response, with 
great emergency.
  I have seen these issues firsthand in my district, and all of my 
colleagues are acknowledging here that it is beyond the Northeast. It 
is penetrating our Nation.
  While there has been increased congressional interest in these 
crises, not enough is being done to effectively end the epidemic. 
First, we need to increase funding for the Substance Abuse

[[Page H92]]

Prevention and Treatment Block Grant. This funding stream represents 
the cornerstone of our States' response, their substance abuse 
prevention, their treatment and recovery systems.
  Unfortunately, funding has not kept up with inflation over the past 
decade and adjusted for inflation, so we are actually funding the block 
grant program at a level that is some 25 percent less than we were in 
2006. Contrasted to the stats that I shared on the growth of this 
epidemic, it is simple. It is immoral that we are not doing more.
  In addition, we need to make certain that we are increasing access to 
effective, evidence-based treatments. One way we could do this is to 
raise the DATA 2000 caps that limit the number of patients that a 
doctor can treat with buprenorphine, which is a medication-assisted 
treatment for opioid abuse.
  There are many doctors who have months-long, if not years-long, 
waiting lists of patients seeking help with their addictions, yet they 
cannot get in the door for treatment due to this arbitrary cap.
  I was proud to join with my colleague from upstate New York, 
Representative Higgins, in introducing the TREAT Act to address the 
issue of prescriber caps, and I hope to continue to work with 
interested Members on both sides of the aisle to address the issue of 
access to treatment.
  Again, I thank my colleagues for bringing attention to this critical 
epidemic here this evening. Let's get the people's business done.
  Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Kildee).
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her work on 
this.
  Tonight, I want to share the story of a young man from my district, 
James Brendan Bye. His mother, Barbara, a good friend of mine, shared 
her story with me and asked that I share it tonight with this Congress 
and with the country.
  Brendan was born on August 3, 1989, followed by his sister, Megan 
Elizabeth. Their father left early on, leaving Barbara as a single 
working parent. Another sibling, Preston, blessed them in 1999.
  Brendan was a wonderful kid, a respectful young man, an honor 
student. His love of playing sports was never realized because of 
asthma.
  In his senior year of high school, things changed. He became 
paralyzed with fear, couldn't go to school, dropped out, and spent a 
year looking for help. He met friends that turned out to be bad 
influences, made experimental choices. His mother was aware of this 
sudden change and saw the signs of anxiety and depression.
  Brendan, though, got his GED, started a job at 18, grateful for work 
in a city with high unemployment.
  He struggled through his early twenties. His mother did everything in 
her power to help him. As a single mom, she worked and raised a family 
of three on one paycheck, often finding herself needing to look for 
help, including Medicaid.
  For Brendan, because his symptoms of mental illness were not so 
easily recognizable, help was harder to get. He was not properly 
diagnosed or treated. His treatment plan did not work. It was not 
successful. As he sunk further into depression, prescription drugs led 
to illegal drug use. He self-medicated.
  His mother, Barbara, did not share her home life with others. For 
her, it was an element of confusion and shame which became the norm. 
Unfortunately, in their community of Grand Blanc, heroin was readily 
available. Like many other communities, lots of kids from all 
backgrounds were using and dying from heroin.
  Brendan first overdosed when he was 24. He was saved by his 
grandfather, Al, who helped him get into rehab. He was able to get 
ongoing treatment at Sacred Heart in Flint, where he had a great 
counselor who helped him. Things were looking up.
  Last year, Barbara was happy. All three of her kids were employed for 
the first time. Their future looked bright. Heroin, it seemed, was out 
of Brendan's life.
  He started taking medication prescribed by a doctor to reverse the 
effects of heroin, volunteered at a food bank, loved nature, loved his 
pets, loved his brother and sister. His relationships flourished, 
especially with his Aunt Amy, Aunt Carla, and his cousins. As Barbara 
told me, ``he was a beautiful person inside and out.''
  At the end of August this last year, things changed again. He was 
taken off prescription medication, and a short time later his mother 
and sister found him collapsed in his bedroom. Brendan, at the age of 
26, on September 8 of last year, died.
  For Brendan, he is now in heaven. His struggles with mental illness 
and addiction are gone. For his family and friends, they continue to 
grieve.
  Barbara has become an advocate. She wants to make sure we honor 
Brendan and his life by making sure that those who need health care can 
get health care, those who need mental health services can get mental 
health services. Her message, and really Brendan's message, is that we 
have to do more as a society and as a nation to deal with this 
incredible problem. It is the way we honor those that we have lost. It 
is the way we honor Brendan.
  Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent if I could have an 
extra 5 minutes. I have three more speakers on our side of the aisle 
and one more Member would like to include Mr. Davis as a speaker.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bishop of Michigan). The Chair cannot 
entertain that request for additional time.


                         Parliamentary Inquiry

  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Does the gentlewoman from New Hampshire 
yield for that purpose?
  Ms. KUSTER. Yes.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary 
inquiry.
  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I believe the Chair can entertain 
requests for unanimous consent at any time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair cannot entertain a unanimous 
consent request to extend a Special Order speech.
  Ms. KUSTER. So as not to lose any of our precious time, I yield to 
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis).
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague. This 
is a very important issue that is affecting central Illinois that I am 
blessed enough to represent right here in this great institution.
  As a Member of Congress, I have witnessed firsthand what heroin and 
opioids can do to communities like my hometown of Taylorville, 
Illinois. In my hometown of 12,000 people, I never would have thought, 
growing up in the 1980s, that a drug like heroin would cause such a 
scourge.
  As a matter of fact, it is interesting to hear many of my colleagues 
talk about what is happening in their communities. Not too long ago, in 
that hometown of 12,000 people, our local newspaper had a coroner's 
jury report that I believe I remember mentioned four deaths in one 
coroner's jury report related to heroin and opioid overdoses. This is 
something in my community I never thought I would witness, and it is 
also something in my community that demands action.
  I am so proud to sponsor the STOP ABUSE Act with my colleagues here 
tonight. What they are talking about and what everybody who has stood 
in front of this sign tonight has talked about is the importance of 
addressing opioid abuse. This bill is something that, because of small 
towns like my hometown, we are here to address. It has become a Federal 
issue.
  I want to end by talking about a friend of mine, a gentleman that I 
grew up with, his family. He actually used to run our county health 
department at the time he was arrested for heroin use. Who would have 
thought that in a town of 12,000 people the director of the county 
health department would be addicted to heroin?
  It doesn't matter what your socioeconomic status is, it doesn't 
matter what your job is, and it doesn't matter where you were born or 
who you were born to; you, too, can become addicted to heroin. That is 
why we have demanded action tonight. That is why I am thankful to be 
here. That is why I am thankful to be able to help each and every one 
of my colleagues in a bipartisan way to address this problem. Mr. 
Speaker, we are going to do something about this issue.
  Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. 
Kaptur).

[[Page H93]]

  

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Kuster for her 
leadership in bringing us together this evening. Congressman Guinta has 
really done the Nation a huge service.
  I rise tonight to speak for the mothers and fathers, brothers and 
sisters, children and friends who have buried a loved one because of 
heroin. Nationwide, there has been a fourfold increase in death from 
opiates over the last decade, and every year nearly 17,000 people die 
from prescription opiate overdoses. Over 8,000 die from heroin 
overdoses, and more than 400,000 seek treatment in emergency rooms. In 
Ohio alone, heroin kills an average of 23 people every week, more than 
1,100 persons per year.
  Heroin and opiate abuse is not a criminal justice issue alone. This 
Nation must recognize this addiction as the overwhelming, powerful, 
chemical dependance condition it is. Concurrently, too, it is often a 
mental health and medical crisis as well.
  They tell us the annual financial cost for our society now is over 
$33 billion a year, and that is based on 1996 figures. The gravest cost 
is in lives lost and grief felt by those loved ones whom the overdose 
victims leave behind.
  I think of the family of my own district staffer, Theresa Morris, who 
lost her beloved cousin, Angelique ``Angel'' Kidd, this past July to 
heroin. Angel grew up in a working class family, got married young, had 
two children, and went to work in food service. One night on her way 
home, she was in a terrible car accident and was given opioid pain 
medicine to help her with her discomfort.
  As she regained strength, she found it difficult to live with chronic 
pain and turned to other prescription medication and eventually to 
illegal substances in order to cope. She and her husband eventually 
divorced, and she became somewhat depressed.
  As her addiction grew, the price of her prescriptions rose. She 
turned to the cheaper substitute: heroin. She eventually lost her job 
due to poor performance and began withdrawing and even stealing from 
her family and got into trouble. It was a horrible descent.
  She died on Friday, July 24, 2015, this past year of combined drug 
toxicity. She was 41 years old. She was a mother, a daughter, a sister, 
a niece, a cousin, and a grandmother. There was no obituary in the 
paper, no public visitation, just a quiet service attended by those who 
loved her. The sorrow in her family simply can't be repeated.
  I know that the time has expired, but we must simply treat the 
chemical dependence that these terrible opioids cause in the American 
people, and we must call to task pharmaceutical companies like Purdue 
Pharma, Cephalon, Janssen, Endo International, and Actavis, because 
with over $11 billion of profits from these opioid pills alone, they 
can surely afford to help the American people.
  Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues 
Congresswoman Ann Kuster and Congressman Frank Guinta for leading this 
important Special Order Hour on opioid and heroin abuse and dependence.
  Today's theme, ``Faces of Addiction,'' gives us a unique opportunity 
to the powerful addicting qualities of heroin and opioids, which have 
serious implications for every family impacted by its abuse.
  Some of you may have seen the 60 Minutes segment, ``Heroin in the 
Heartland,'' which filmed in parts of my district.
  Let me share the story of Robbie, whose struggle stands out to me.
  Robbie was prescribed opioids--Oxycodone and Oxycontin, among 
others--for a chronic pain condition.
  Although he said he never intended to abuse these medications, Robbie 
became an addict, taking painkillers for 25 years as his doctors kept 
prescribing higher and higher doses to manage his pain.
  Robbie eventually stopped caring about anything except opioids and 
finding his next dose of medication.
  His marriage fell apart.
  He became estranged from friends.
  He gained 90 pounds and developed diabetes, heart disease, and 
arthritis.
  He lost his will to live and contemplated suicide.
  Ultimately, it was a pharmacist who put a stop to Robbie's opioid use 
by refusing to fill his prescription.
  This abrupt end to the drugs led Robbie to connect to a new doctor, 
an addiction specialist.
  Robbie is not alone in his struggle with opioid dependence and abuse.
  According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, over 100 
Americans died from drug overdose deaths each day in 2013.
  46 Americans die each day from prescription opioid overdoses, which 
is two deaths per hour or 17,000 deaths annually.
  In Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Health, from 2000 to 
2012, Ohio's death rate due to unintentional drug poisonings increased 
366 percent, and this increase in deaths has been driven largely by 
prescription drug overdoses.
  On average, approximately five people die each day in Ohio due to 
drug overdose.
  As these statistics illustrate, much work remains to be done toward 
resolving the problems of opioid abuse nationally as well as in my home 
state.
  We need an honest effort to integrate prevention, treatment, and 
enforcement.
  Ohio is adding a weapon to its arsenal in fighting drug abuse by 
providing doctors and pharmacists with a one-click link to the state 
opiate tracking system.
  Ohio will become the first state to integrate its database, the Ohio 
Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS), with electronic medical records 
already maintained by doctors and pharmacists.
  This database linkup is one of the latest tools utilized by state 
officials to combat the epidemic of overdose deaths.
  The opioid epidemic has been particularly devastating to our fight to 
end infant mortality in central Ohio.
  When a pregnant mother abuses drugs, her unborn baby isn't just an 
innocent bystander. The drugs can affect that child to the degree that 
the baby will likely suffer withdraw after birth.
  As of 2013, about 12 in every 1,000 babies born in Franklin County 
faced that uphill battle.
  Those numbers grow year after year and experts say heroin is fueling 
the increase.
  That is why at the federal level, I co-sponsored and voted in favor 
of the Protecting Our Infants Act of 2015, which was signed into law 
November 25, 2015.
  This new law will help prevent and treat babies exposed to opioids in 
utero.
  It will also support efforts to collect and disseminate strategies 
and best practices to prevent and treat maternal opioid use and abuse.
  Finding solutions to this epidemic will require all of us to work 
together at the Federal, State, and local levels.
  Drug abuse certainly isn't a partisan issue and many Members of 
Congress are actively engaged on the matter.
  I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to address 
this epidemic.
  Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Bipartisan Task Force to 
Combat the Heroin Epidemic, I would like to thank our co-chairs for 
arranging this special order to discuss the faces of heroin and opiate 
addiction.
  The faces of heroin and opiate addiction are getting younger. In my 
home State of Ohio and across the country, we have seen a dramatic 
increase in the number of infants born with opiates in their system and 
needing for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, or NAS. Tragically, these 
children are born addicted to drugs and have no voice or awareness as 
to why they are suffering.
  The symptoms of withdrawal begin almost immediately. They may suffer 
from low birth weight, difficulty feeding or breathing, seizures, 
dehydration, tremors, and excessive or continuous high-pitched crying. 
Hospital personnel may spend ten hours in a single day to holding and 
rocking these newborns in an effort to console them, but over 80 
percent of children with NAS still require medication to treat their 
withdrawal.
  The toll that the heroin epidemic takes on these children can go 
beyond the terrible physical symptoms and complications, and the 
effects can be lasting ones. The faces of heroin addiction are young 
and they are fighting an incredibly difficult and painful battle 
without ever choosing to suffer. Through no action of their own, these 
children are victims of the heroin epidemic.
  Parents who do not successfully treat their addiction have overdosed 
and died, leaving these children without their mothers and fathers. We 
must work to ensure that children are not born addicted and not left 
without a parent.
  I would encourage all of my colleagues to do as I have, and go out 
into your communities and meet with your local hospitals, doctors, and 
healthcare professionals to see how they are dealing with the growing 
number of heroin and opiate addicted newborns. I have held multiple 
forums to better understand how we can begin to prevent addiction 
beginning at birth.
  The faces of the heroin epidemic are not limited in age or gender. We 
know now that it can be anyone: a child born unknowingly addicted or a 
parent who does not know where to turn for help. We must remain 
committed to combating the heroin epidemic and the devastating effects 
it has on these children and families.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman from New 
Hampshire has expired.

[[Page H94]]

  

  Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, do I have any time remaining, as I have two 
more speakers just for 1 minute each?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Ms. KUSTER. It is regrettable. This is such an important topic for 
the country.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair could entertain requests for 1-
minute speeches at this time.

                              {time}  2115

  (By unanimous consent, Mr. Cicilline was allowed to speak out of 
order.)


                           faces of addiction

  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, addiction has many faces, and one of 
those is my friend from Rhode Island, Tom Coderre, who was elected to 
the State senate at the age of 25 and also oversaw 40 employees as the 
director of a local nonprofit.
  Already a heavy drinker, Tom soon started using cocaine as a way to 
cope with the stress of his responsibilities, and when he realized that 
drugs were taking hold of his life, he tried to quit on his own but was 
never able to maintain sobriety for more than a month or two.
  Eventually, he checked himself into an inpatient treatment at Butler 
Hospital. There he was able to get help and support and to maintain his 
sobriety and get his life back on track.
  Today, more than 10 years sober, Tom works as the chief of staff for 
the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. His 
victory over addiction is an inspiration for all who are struggling 
today.
  It is a reminder for those of us in Congress that we need to do more 
to provide resources and support for those who need it most. We need a 
comprehensive approach from the Federal Government that focuses on 
ensuring that those struggling with addiction get the support and 
treatment they need. That is particularly important in the area of 
opiate and heroin abuse.
  In 2012, of the 23.1 million Americans who needed treatment for drugs 
or alcohol, only 2.5 million received it through a specialty facility.
  There are millions of Americans who are in need of treatment. We have 
a responsibility to do all that we can. Heroin use has grown 
tremendously over the last decade, particularly in New England. It is 
an epidemic that cuts across all demographic boundaries--Black and 
White, rich and poor, young and old--and we need to do something about 
it.

                          ____________________