[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 24, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H862]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            HEROIN EPIDEMIC

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Dold) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss a problem that is near 
and dear to my heart.
  Cheaper than cigarettes and more accessible than alcohol, heroin has 
become a plague on communities all across our country. Heroin takes a 
life every 3 days in the Chicago suburbs. Unfortunately, a similarly 
deadly trend is taking place all over our Nation.
  Although heroin is not often considered a serious suburban problem, 
statistics show the epidemic is quickly growing. Nearly one-quarter of 
the people who try heroin become addicted, and heroin deaths have 
literally quadrupled in the United States in less than a decade.
  But the statistics don't even begin to tell the whole story. As the 
co-chair of the Suburban Anti-Heroin Task Force in the State of 
Illinois, I have seen firsthand the deadly impact of these drugs.
  But I still can't even begin to fathom the pain of losing one of my 
children to a drug overdose. I can't imagine what families throughout 
the country have been put through because of this terrible drug.
  There is hope. Thanks to the great work of the Lake County Opioid 
Initiative, Live4Lali, and many other organizations in the 10th 
Congressional District, we have already had tremendous success saving 
lives with an overdose reversal aid called naloxone.

                              {time}  1045

  When used properly, naloxone helps restore breathing that has been 
stopped by an overdose. First responders in Lake County, Illinois, have 
now saved over 56 lives in just a little over 1 year. That is 56 
families who won't have to experience the same type of unbearable pain 
as those who have lost a loved one.
  With increased access, the World Health Organization predicts that 
naloxone could save an additional 20,000 lives each and every year. 
That is why I introduced a new bipartisan piece of legislation this 
week with Congresswoman Katherine Clark.
  Our bill, Lali's Law, will help States increase access to naloxone. 
The bill is named in memory of Stevenson High School graduate Alex 
Laliberte, who, sadly, passed away from a drug overdose.
  Alex, like many high school students, played sports at Stevenson High 
School. He did well at school. He cared about his friends. He cared 
about his family. But during his sophomore year of college, he began 
being hospitalized for what was a mysterious illness.
  Unknown to his family and to the doctors, Alex had an addiction to 
prescription drugs and was being hospitalized for his withdrawal. He 
would stay in the hospital until he received his fix, leave the 
hospital, and repeat the cycle again and again. He continued this 
pattern until he died of an overdose a few days after his final exams.
  The primary purpose, Mr. Speaker, of this bill, is to help fund State 
programs that allow pharmacists to distribute naloxone without a 
prescription so that we can prevent the repeat of Alex's story.
  Many States use these programs to allow local law enforcement 
officers to carry and use naloxone, just like the success we have 
already seen in Lake County.
  The police officers in Lake County asked to be able to carry it 
because they would come to a scene often faster than the paramedics. 
They could respond within 5 minutes and refused to sit idly by and 
watch these people die of an overdose.
  Lali's Law is an example of what is possible when we set aside 
partisanship and get to work for the people that we represent. Lali's 
Law will bring Alex's story to the United States Congress, here, and 
amplify the lifesaving benefits of Live4Lali's hard work and the work 
that they did to pass a similar piece of legislation in the Illinois 
State Legislature.
  It is my hope that, through this bipartisan bill, Alex's lasting 
legacy will include helping countless people get a second chance at 
recovery and saving their families from unbearable heartbreak.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan initiative and join 
us in the fight against heroin and prescription drug abuse. Together we 
can truly save lives.

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