[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 74 (Wednesday, May 11, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H2227-H2234]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4641, ESTABLISHING PAIN MANAGEMENT 
BEST PRACTICES INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCE, AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION 
     OF H.R. 5046, COMPREHENSIVE OPIOID ABUSE REDUCTION ACT OF 2016

  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on 
Rules, I call up House Resolution 720 and ask for its immediate 
consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 720

       Resolved, That at any time after adoption of this 
     resolution the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule 
     XVIII, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the 
     Whole House on the state of the Union for consideration of 
     the bill (H.R. 4641) to provide for the establishment of an 
     inter-agency task force to review, modify, and update best 
     practices for pain management and prescribing pain 
     medication, and for other purposes. The first reading of the 
     bill shall be dispensed with. All points of order against 
     consideration of the bill are waived. General debate shall be 
     confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally 
     divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority 
     member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. After general 
     debate the bill shall be considered for amendment under the 
     five-minute rule. It shall be in order to consider as an 
     original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-
     minute rule the amendment in the nature of a substitute 
     recommended by the Committee on Energy and Commerce now 
     printed in the bill. The committee amendment in the nature of 
     a substitute shall be considered as read. All points of order 
     against the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute 
     are waived. No amendment to the committee amendment in the 
     nature of a substitute shall be in order except those printed 
     in part A of the report of the Committee on Rules 
     accompanying this resolution. Each such amendment may be 
     offered only in the order printed in the report, may be 
     offered only by a Member designated in the report, shall be 
     considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified 
     in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent 
     and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall 
     not be subject to a demand for division of the question in 
     the House or in the Committee of the Whole. All points of 
     order against such amendments are waived. At the conclusion 
     of consideration of the bill for amendment the Committee 
     shall rise and report the bill to the House with such 
     amendments as may have been adopted. Any Member may demand a 
     separate vote in the House on any amendment adopted in the 
     Committee of the Whole to the bill or to the committee 
     amendment in the nature of a substitute. The previous 
     question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and 
     amendments thereto to final passage without intervening 
     motion except one motion to recommit with or without 
     instructions.
       Sec. 2.  At any time after adoption of this resolution the 
     Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XVIII, declare 
     the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on 
     the state of the Union for consideration of the bill (H.R. 
     5046) to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act 
     of 1968 to authorize the Attorney General to make grants to 
     assist State and local governments in addressing the national 
     epidemic of opioid abuse, and for other purposes. The first 
     reading of the bill shall be

[[Page H2228]]

     dispensed with. All points of order against consideration of 
     the bill are waived. General debate shall be confined to the 
     bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and 
     controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the 
     Committee on the Judiciary. After general debate the bill 
     shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. 
     It shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the 
     purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule an amendment 
     in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules 
     Committee Print 114-52. That amendment in the nature of a 
     substitute shall be considered as read. All points of order 
     against that amendment in the nature of a substitute are 
     waived. No amendment to that amendment in the nature of a 
     substitute shall be in order except those printed in part B 
     of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this 
     resolution. Each such amendment may be offered only in the 
     order printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member 
     designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall 
     be debatable for the time specified in the report equally 
     divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, 
     shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject 
     to a demand for division of the question in the House or in 
     the Committee of the Whole. All points of order against such 
     amendments are waived. At the conclusion of consideration of 
     the bill for amendment the Committee shall rise and report 
     the bill to the House with such amendments as may have been 
     adopted. Any Member may demand a separate vote in the House 
     on any amendment adopted in the Committee of the Whole to the 
     bill or to the amendment in the nature of a substitute made 
     in order as original text. The previous question shall be 
     considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to 
     final passage without intervening motion except one motion to 
     recommit with or without instructions.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Georgia is recognized for 
1 hour.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, 
I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts 
(Mr. McGovern), pending which I yield myself such time as I may 
consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is 
for the purpose of debate only.

                              {time}  1230


                             General Leave

  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
to include any extraneous material on House Resolution 720, currently 
under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to bring this rule 
forward today on behalf of the Rules Committee.
  The rule provides for consideration of H.R. 5046, the Comprehensive 
Opioid Abuse Reduction Act of 2016, and H.R. 4641, a bill to establish 
an interagency task force to review, modify, and update best practices 
for pain management and for prescribing pain medication.
  For H.R. 5046, the rule provides for 1 hour of debate, equally 
divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking member of the 
Judiciary Committee.
  And for H.R. 4641, the rule provides for 1 hour of debate, equally 
divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking member of the Energy 
and Commerce Committee.
  Both rules are structured rules that make in order numerous 
amendments.
  Yesterday the Rules Committee received testimony from members of the 
Judiciary Committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee, and multiple 
other Members on their amendments. H.R. 5046 was marked up by the 
Judiciary Committee, and H.R. 4641 was reported by the Energy and 
Commerce Committee. Both bills have broad bipartisan support.
  These bills are part of the House's effort to combat our Nation's 
growing opioid epidemic. They reflect a commitment to address this 
devastating problem in a constructive and meaningful way.
  Opioid abuse hits communities all across this country, rich and poor, 
rural, suburban, and urban, and it takes a major toll. In 2012, an 
estimated 2.1 million in the United States were suffering from 
substance abuse disorders related to prescription opioid pain 
relievers. An estimated 467,000 people were addicted to heroin.
  In the same year, in Georgia, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation 
found that prescription drugs played a role in 592 deaths in 152 of 159 
counties for which autopsies were performed.
  Mr. Speaker, just the other day I was having coffee with a dear 
friend of mine who I have known for 20 years. As we were talking and I 
mentioned what we were doing here, he brought forth that just in the 
last little bit in his own family life he has seen relatives that have 
been touched by this epidemic of painkillers and substance abuse 
issues. This is something that can affect anyone in any family, and 
this is why we are here today.
  The bills before us today take steps to combat the opioid epidemic 
and drug addiction.
  H.R. 5046, introduced by Mr. Sensenbrenner from Wisconsin, 
establishes a comprehensive opioid abuse grant program. The program 
encompasses new and existing Department of Justice programs, including 
training for first responders, law enforcement, drug courts, 
residential substance abuse treatment, and criminal investigations for 
the unlawful distribution of opioids.
  Importantly, this bill provides flexibility for the States to use the 
funds where they are needed most. It does so by establishing one grant 
program that has numerous allowable uses. The bill also ensures that 
there isn't duplication and eliminates redundancy.
  I was proud to support this bill at the Judiciary Committee.
  H.R. 4641, introduced by Congresswoman Susan Brooks of Indiana, 
establishes a pain management best practices interagency task force. 
This task force will include representatives from Federal agencies, 
state medical boards, healthcare professionals, experts from addiction 
recovery communities, and others knowledgeable in the field.
  The task force will be responsible for reviewing and updating best 
practices for acute and chronic pain management in an evidence-based 
manner. It will also be responsible for sharing the information found 
with healthcare professionals. This bill recognizes that responses to 
the opioid epidemic need to be coordinated and thoughtful.
  Addiction is happening far too often with devastating consequences. 
Further, it is shown that prescription opioid abuse often leads to 
heroin abuse--and the sheriffs in my part of my State can attest to 
this every day--compounding this problem.
  In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control, 45 percent of 
people who used heroin were addicted to prescription opioid 
painkillers.
  Heroin has frequently been thought of as an inner-city problem, but 
we are starting to see it more and more outside of cities and spreading 
to rural areas, too. This problem is a problem for America. This 
problem has exploded.
  According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, heroin deaths have 
increased in Georgia by 300 percent. That is an astonishing and very 
tragic statistic.
  CDC statistics on opioid abuse show 18,893 overdose deaths related to 
prescription pain relievers and 10,574 overdose deaths related to 
heroin in 2014. Those are staggering numbers.
  The opioid epidemic affects everyone, and I believe that most people 
could tell you of a family member or friend who has suffered in some 
way because of this problem.
  Also, Mr. Speaker, it affects babies who are born addicted to opioids 
and other drugs. These children, through no fault of their own, are 
born with a serious and heartbreaking problem. They then go through 
dangerous withdrawals and can be left with lasting health consequences. 
We have to find a way to stop this.
  The opioid epidemic affects veterans, whose battle scars are treated 
by a VA whose answer too often is to prescribe high quantities of 
opioids with little thought to the consequences.
  I am a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve. I served in 
Iraq. I saw firsthand the scars that the battlefield can leave, both 
physical and mental. We need a support system for our veterans. We need 
to address their pain. We need to ensure that they have an avenue to 
get the help they need.
  I believe that the bills that this rule provides for will take the 
steps to make that happen. Our veterans deserve our very best.
  Addiction issues are often related to other co-occurring disorders, 
including mental health issues. Addiction claims victims, and addiction 
is a disease.

[[Page H2229]]

  We must not turn a blind eye to those in need. We must work to halt 
the opioid epidemic, and we must act to prevent more deaths and to stop 
the growth and spread of the problem. Today's bills are a step toward 
doing that, and I am glad that we have the opportunity to discuss those 
in an open manner.
  These bills are brought forward due to the hard work of many Members. 
In particular, I thank Chairmen Goodlatte and Upton, Ranking Members 
Conyers and Pallone, Congresswoman Brooks, Congressman Sensenbrenner, 
and their staffs for their work in bringing these important reforms 
together. These reforms are a step in the right direction.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. 
Collins) for the customary 30 minutes.
  I rise to speak on the rule for consideration of H.R. 5046, the 
Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act, and H.R. 4641, a bill to 
provide for the establishment of an interagency task force to review, 
modify, and update best practices for pain management and prescribing 
pain medication, and for other purposes.
  By the end of this week, the House will have taken up a total of 17 
bipartisan opiate-related bills, each a critical measure to help us 
tackle the opioid crisis in a variety of ways as we work to end this 
scourge hurting so many communities across our country and costing the 
lives of so many all across this country.
  I am pleased that the House will be considering this critical 
bipartisan legislation this week. But in all honesty, I am also very 
concerned that Republicans are not proposing the new funding that is 
necessary to meaningfully address the opioid crisis.
  So, in addition to passing the bipartisan legislation on the floor 
this week, which authorizes a new grant program, we must also provide 
real, new resources in the form of appropriations to ensure that the 
initiatives in this legislation can be fully implemented.
  If we don't do that, all the speeches that we will give this week 
will amount to empty rhetoric. We need to make sure we fund these 
priorities. This is an emergency.
  Opiate addiction is inflicting a savage daily toll in neighborhoods 
across America. According to the CDC, 78 Americans die from an opiate 
overdose every day, and many of them are young people. In 2013, the 
number of heroin users was 681,000, an increase of more than 250,000 
users since 2002. This crisis is affecting every region across the 
country and every demographic group.
  I have long said that Congress must provide the meaningful resources 
that are needed to make a difference and save lives. Today I am pleased 
that we are coming together and taking action to attempt to do just 
that. These are important first steps.
  In New England, we know all too well the terrible toll of the opiate 
epidemic. Having seen the damage it has done to the communities that I 
represent in central and western Massachusetts, tackling the opiate 
epidemic has long been a top priority for me.
  Across Massachusetts, the number of opiate overdose deaths climbed by 
nearly 10 percent, up from 1,228 in 2014 to 1,379 in 2015. Once all 
cases are finalized by the medical officials in Massachusetts, it is 
estimated that there will be an additional 63 to 85 deaths for 2014 and 
118 to 179 deaths in 2015.
  In Worcester County alone, home to the second largest city in New 
England, opiate-related deaths jumped from 163 in 2014 to 177 in 2015. 
Looking back at the last 16 years, we can see an even bigger increase. 
In 2000, there were 59 opiate-related overdose deaths in Worcester 
County, a small fraction of the 1,289 deaths in 2015.
  Most of last year's victims were between the ages of 25 and 44, in 
the prime of their lives with so much to live for. Many left behind 
families heartbroken and devastated by these senseless deaths. These 
families included husbands, wives, children, and so many more who loved 
them and desperately wanted them to get the help that they needed and 
to be able to live.
  The opiate epidemic is even harder to cope with for those who have 
seen young people lose their lives to addiction. In Shrewsbury, 
Massachusetts, one high school principal said that, in the 11 years he 
has been principal, he has known of 33 students who have been active 
heroin addicts and 7 of them died. And in a recent forum, he learned 
that there had been even more that he had not known about.
  Part of the problem is the stigma associated with heroin use. I think 
a lot of us think we know what heroin use and addiction looks like, but 
the reality is it can take hold of anyone, including our neighbors, our 
friends, and even our own family members.
  However, instead of giving in to despair, communities in 
Massachusetts and across the country are responding to the opiate 
epidemic with strength and with courage. They are helping to lead 
grassroots State and national coalitions to raise awareness and educate 
people about the crisis and provide resources to help those ensnared by 
the addiction.
  The Central Massachusetts Opiate Task Force, chaired by Worcester 
County District Attorney Joe Early, is a great example of this. They 
are working to bring greater awareness of the problem to residents. 
Members of the task force attend many of the coalition forums and also 
go into schools to talk to students directly.
  The opiate task force serving Franklin County and the North Quabbin 
Region in Massachusetts is another example. It is co-chaired by John 
Merrigan, Franklin County Register of Probate; Chris Donelan, the 
Franklin County Sheriff; and David Sullivan, the Northwestern District 
Attorney.
  I am so thankful for these and other task forces and coalitions in 
Massachusetts and across the country for coming together quickly to 
address this public health crisis and for their tenacity in fighting 
for individuals and families struggling with addiction.
  Just this week I had the opportunity to join community leaders at 
North Brookfield High School in central Massachusetts for an event with 
Chris Herren, a former constituent of mine from Fall River and a former 
Boston Celtics player who now travels in New England and across the 
country to speak about his own recovery from addiction and the need for 
young people to stay drug free.
  I am also grateful to my fellow members of the Massachusetts 
congressional delegation for being strong partners in this fight. Joe 
Kennedy is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and has been a 
leader on this issue. He is the lead Democratic sponsor of H.R. 4641. A 
number of amendments sponsored by Massachusetts Members were made in 
order last night, including several from Katherine Clark, as well as 
amendments from Seth Moulton, Bill Keating, and Stephen Lynch.

                              {time}  1245

  I also want to commend the leadership of the gentlewoman from New 
Hampshire (Ms. Kuster). She has been out front on this issue for a 
long, long time, and we appreciate her leadership.
  The simple truth is that we are not going to arrest our way out of 
this problem. Prevention and treatment must be at the heart of our 
approach to tackling this epidemic. As part of the comprehensive 
approach called for, we must equip our young people with the skills 
necessary to identify constructive ways to deal with problems so that 
turning to drugs is never an option.
  We must make every effort to ensure that treatment is available to 
those who seek it because it takes courage and strength to admit that 
you need help. I am pleased that this legislation that we are 
considering this week would do just that.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the legislation this rule makes in 
order, H.R. 5046. The Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act would 
establish the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant Program. With $103 
million provided annually over 5 years, this program would help provide 
vital assistance to States and local agencies to fund treatment 
alternatives to incarceration, opioid abuse prevention, training, and 
education.
  The program's grants could be used to train first responders in 
carrying and administering opioid overdose reversal drugs, support 
prescription drug

[[Page H2230]]

monitoring programs, strengthen collaborations between criminal justice 
agencies and substance abuse systems, or for programs targeted toward 
juvenile opioid abuse programs.
  This legislation, I think, is a commonsense, bipartisan step that 
goes a long way toward providing the critical help that Americans 
across this country need to combat our opioid epidemic.
  I also support H.R. 4641, a bill that would provide for the 
establishment of an interagency task force to review, modify, and 
update best practices for pain management and prescribing pain 
medication, and for other purposes. Creating this task force is another 
key step to help strengthen our national response to the opioid crisis 
and increase interagency collaboration as we marshal all our resources 
in this fight.
  I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who worked 
very hard to bring this additional bipartisan legislation to the floor 
this week so we could begin to tackle this opioid crisis. These bills 
take important steps to cut the risk of opioid addiction among veterans 
managing chronic pain, take on international drug traffickers, improve 
the treatment and care of babies who are born addicted to opioids, help 
reduce opioid use among young people, and strengthen access to opioid 
overdose reversal medication.
  There are many issues that Democrats and Republicans do not see eye 
to eye on, but I am pleased that both parties seem to be coming 
together, at least on this first step, to tackle the opioid crisis. For 
families and communities across the country who have already lost so 
much and so many to this epidemic, there has never been a more 
important time for us to take action.
  I want to thank the leaders of both parties for helping to bring 
these bipartisan bills to the House floor. I do believe that we can end 
the opioid crisis once and for all.
  But again, in conclusion--and I have to stress this--we need to 
provide the funding to our communities that are struggling to deal with 
this opioid and heroin crisis. This is an emergency. That is how you 
have to classify this and look at it. This is an emergency. People are 
dying. Without providing the additional resources needed, we will not 
be part of the solution.
  The ideas that we have compiled today that will be debated this week 
are all good ideas, but they won't be real ideas unless they are 
funded. I worry that this Congress might not be up to the challenge. We 
have emergencies in Flint, Michigan, with the water crisis, and we have 
not done what we need to do to provide emergency funding to that 
community. We have a growing emergency with the Zika virus, and we 
can't get an emergency appropriations bill to the floor here today. I 
think that we need to understand that this crisis has risen to the 
level of an emergency. We need to do what is right. We need to not only 
pass these bills, but we need to commit in a bipartisan way that we are 
going to provide the necessary funding. I hope we can do that.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to yield 5 minutes 
to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Guinta).
  Mr. GUINTA. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of H.R. 5046, 
the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act, and H.R. 4641, which will 
establish an interagency task force to review, modify, and update best 
practices for pain management and prescription pain medication.
  Overprescription of opioids is leading to addiction, shattering 
lives, and creating death around our country. In my home State of New 
Hampshire, deadly overdoses following the abuse of heroin and opioids 
claimed the lives of over 430 people last year alone. That is about 1 
in every 3,000 people from my State falling victim to an epidemic, 
succumbing to a preventable problem. According to the CDC, overdose 
deaths have tripled over the last 10 years.
  Desperate families, too long, are crying out for help. I commend my 
colleagues for rising to the occasion in this legislative response, 
tackling this issue in a bipartisan way, and making the proper 
commitment to fund an adequate response to help those who are in need.
  These two pieces of legislation are designed to assist those battling 
the epidemic on the front lines, from law enforcement officers to 
underfunded recovery systems and personnel, and everyone in between. I 
am moved time and time again by the painful stories of the victims and 
courageous individuals coming to their aid, and I urge the House to 
offer its support in this struggle.
  I was pleased that just last night the Committee on Rules accepted my 
amendment, allowing prevention and recovery programs to accept grant 
money authorized by the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act, and I 
urge my colleagues to support this amendment when it comes to the House 
floor tomorrow.

  As the House response to the Senate-passed Comprehensive Addiction 
and Recovery Act, these bills are a joint step toward progress and 
safety. I am a proud sponsor of many of these bills coming to the floor 
this week, and I hope for their swift and timely passage as urgent 
relief for those who are suffering around our Nation.
  We must provide a thorough and wide-ranging plan to meet the enormity 
of this terrible epidemic, which invades every corner of the United 
States, takes lives across traditional divides, and manifests itself in 
ways to which we are not accustomed.
  My colleagues and I are committed to seeing the House of 
Representatives answer this challenge by passing the most vigorous and 
inclusive plan possible. I am confident we will do all that we can to 
pass this plan this week, go to conference with the Senate, and put a 
bill on the President's desk before June.
  Our plan is urgently needed. Almost 130 people die every day from 
opioid overdoses. Eighty percent of the opioids prescribed worldwide 
are prescribed here in the United States. In my district and around the 
country, I hear from families and friends who know someone coping with 
substance use disorder.
  We will only make a dent in this great challenge by listening to its 
victims. We need to listen to fathers like Doug Griffin of Newton, New 
Hampshire. His daughter Courtney fell victim to heroin abuse at 20 
years old.
  Doug remembers Courtney as a vivacious girl, funny, passionate, and 
charming. She loved music and s'mores and told Doug she planned to 
become a marine, a beautiful young woman prepared to sacrifice for her 
country in one of its greatest and most honorable services. That was 
Courtney.
  But 3 years later, she was lost on the streets, overwhelmed by the 
sorrow and confusion this epidemic instills, moving from rehab facility 
to rehab facility. Prescription pills, fentanyl, and street heroin 
ensnared Courtney in a fatal web of addiction, and she lost the will to 
live. Courtney was a 20-year-old girl--20 years old--a neighbor, a 
friend, a daughter. How can we begin to comprehend the depth of that 
kind of tragedy?
  Because Courtney's pain was so great and because she had so few 
options for treatment, Doug says he and his family hid the truth from 
the outside world. To help others, they are speaking out now; and by 
speaking out and listening, we start to understand this tragedy. Doug 
is courageously telling everyone he knows the warning signs of heroin 
abuse and the deficiencies in our public response. Millions of 
Americans share Courtney's story and Doug's anguish. It is only by 
speaking out and sharing grief that we will remove the stigma 
preventing far too many from seeking help.

  This week, during Heroin and Opioid Abuse Awareness Week, we have an 
opportunity to hear, learn, share, and fight back. We can hear the 
stories of grieving and resolute families, the stories of resilient 
victims. We can learn of the intensity of their experiences and glean 
from them the lessons we need to fight back. We can share their lessons 
and bring them to bear in our discourse and through our legislation, 
and we can start to turn the tide.
  As the House considers this vital legislation, I encourage my 
colleagues to listen to their constituents, hear their stories, share 
their struggles, and help them fight back.
  Mr. McGOVERN. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, again, I think that every Member of this House should 
support the underlying legislation.

[[Page H2231]]

There will be some good amendments offered. Unfortunately, there were a 
lot of good amendments that were not made in order by the Committee on 
Rules last night. There will be some suspensions that will come to the 
floor that I think deserve our support. And I am anxious to go to 
conference with the Senate, anxious to put a bill on the President's 
desk.
  I don't want to spoil this bipartisan moment, but none of this means 
anything if we don't fund it. These aren't appropriations bills that we 
are dealing with. I know my colleagues on the other side of the aisle 
said, well, we will deal with that in the appropriations process. Well, 
because of the dysfunction of this place, we are not going to deal with 
the appropriations bills in any real way until after the election. I 
don't think we can wait. I think we need an emergency supplemental 
appropriations bill to deal right now with this crisis that has already 
claimed so many lives.
  Let's all come together and pass these authorizing bills, but we need 
to do more than that. The President has requested $1.1 billion, I 
think, to try to help provide resources to communities to deal with 
this crisis. We haven't funded that. So bills that set up grant 
programs that we all support, initiatives that we all think are 
important, that is good; but if the money is not there to actually fund 
these and implement these programs, then we are not doing our job. I 
would just argue that we have waited too long. It is an emergency. We 
ought to do this, and we ought to have an emergency supplemental 
appropriations bill on the floor immediately and get relief to our 
communities today.
  Mr. Speaker, I support all these measures that the House will 
consider this week; however, as I said, they can't be the final word. 
We have to approve additional funding to develop a comprehensive 
response to this epidemic, which is an emergency. I am going to ask my 
colleagues to defeat the previous question. If we defeat the previous 
question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up legislation 
that provides $600 million in funding to address the opioid epidemic.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the 
amendment in the Record along with extraneous material immediately 
prior to the vote on the previous question.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Massachusetts?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Kuster), a leader on this issue, to 
discuss our proposal.
  Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank all my colleagues for the bipartisan 
work that is happening this week.
  I am proud to be a co-chair with the gentleman from New Hampshire 
(Mr. Guinta) of the Bipartisan Taskforce to Combat the Heroin Epidemic, 
Members of Congress from all across the country coming together to 
address this crisis.
  I rise, however, to oppose the rule and, as Mr. McGovern has said, we 
intend to move the previous question. I am bringing to the House floor 
a Democratic substitute opioids package to include $600 million in 
critical funding to address this opioid epidemic.
  We have an emergency. People are dying, as Mr. Guinta said--in my own 
State, our State of New Hampshire, over 420 people in 1 year. We have a 
better chance in New Hampshire of dying from an opioid epidemic death 
from fentanyl, from heroin, from drugs off the street, than we do of 
dying in a car accident. This is an emergency, and it is a crisis.
  My substitute bill will provide vital funding for all of the bills 
that we are discussing, for bills that will provide the grants the 
Committee on the Judiciary has brought forth in H.R. 5046, introduced 
by Mr. Sensenbrenner, for law enforcement, for drug courts.
  I have just this week been to the graduation of a drug court. We can 
turn lives around, but we need funding for drug courts to spread all 
across our country, for the good work that my colleagues, the 
gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Brooks) and the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy), put into the Energy and Commerce bill, 
H.R. 4641, to create the task force.
  Mr. Guinta and I had an original bill, the STOP ABUSE Act, that 
created a task force, and we are so pleased that that task force will 
move forward. We need to bring together the experts to determine why 
now, what is happening in our society that opioid overdoses are leading 
people, leading this addiction, this substance use disorder that is a 
disease, leading people to go from prescribed medication from their 
physician into heroin off the streets and, in our State, is now being 
laced with fentanyl, which is a lethal combination.

                              {time}  1300

  The substitute will provide a total of $600 million in vital new 
resources to address this epidemic, and my understanding is that we 
have not included this funding in these underlying bills. We want to 
support the underlying bills, but it is critical to have the funding.
  New Hampshire has now gone from number 24 in the Nation in deaths per 
population to number 3, seemingly overnight. I have traveled around my 
district bringing together stakeholders, law enforcement, treatment 
providers, long-term recovery, which is a critical aspect of this, 
physicians, hospitals, police, everyone to the table. In Keene, in 
Nashua, in Concord, in the north country of our State, we now have 
mayors' committees. We have the Governor having a major summit this 
week. Here is the answer: we have solutions.
  I serve on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and I was so proud to 
bring to one of our congressional task force hearings Dr. Julie 
Franklin from the VA in White River Junction, Vermont, who is doing 
critical frontline research with people, veterans who are experiencing 
chronic pain. This is lifelong pain. She has worked with them with 
acupuncture, with mental health treatment, with physical therapy, with 
all different kinds of wellness and yoga, and she has decreased the use 
of opiate medication by 50 percent. We can do this, but we need 
funding.
  I urge you to vote ``no'' on the rule. I ask my colleagues to please 
support the substitute package that will include a critical $600 
million in funding.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Augusta, Georgia (Mr. Allen), my good friend and someone 
who has spent a great deal of time looking into these issues. I 
appreciate his willingness to come speak on it today.
  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for 
yielding to me to speak on this important threat to our country, our 
State, and our communities.
  Our Founders made a promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of 
happiness. In America today, in every State, in too many families, 
there is a palpable undercurrent of pain, loss, and suffering that is 
caused by this horrendous opioid crisis.
  Sadly, nearly one in five Americans knows someone who has been 
addicted to opioids. Nearly every 12 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies 
of a drug overdose; every 25 minutes, a baby is born suffering from 
opioid withdrawal.
  A recent CDC study found that, in 2009, more Americans died from 
prescription drugs than motor vehicle accidents, marking the first time 
drug-related deaths have outnumbered motor vehicle-related deaths since 
1979, when the government started tracking drug-related deaths.
  Unfortunately, my home State of Georgia is not immune to this growing 
epidemic. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, in 2012, 
prescription drugs played a role in 592 deaths in 152 of the 159 
counties in Georgia for which it performs autopsies.
  These heartbreaking numbers are far too high and tragic. We must take 
action to combat this crisis so that those addicted and their loved 
ones may start the road to healing. This week my colleagues and I in 
the House of Representatives are bringing opioid addiction out of the 
shadows to stop this devastating crisis.
  I am proud of the tireless work of my colleagues in the Judiciary 
Committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee, and the Education and the 
Workforce Committee, on which I serve, to prevent, treat, and 
streamline access to care for those addicted to opioids.
  My colleagues and I have worked to advance bipartisan solutions that 
address this crisis, from helping newborns who are born into addiction 
to creating an interagency task force to update

[[Page H2232]]

best practices for prescribing opioid painkillers.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an 
additional 1 minute.
  Mr. ALLEN. This is only the start of our work in the United States 
Congress on this important subject. The road to recovery will be long 
and hard fought, but the American spirit is as strong as ever and will 
prevail.
  Together we will help our brothers and sisters in Christ become whole 
again. The very soul of this country is at stake. I am pleased the 
people's House is taking proactive steps to fight this epidemic.
  I urge my colleagues to support the rule and support the numerous 
bills coming before the House this week.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I think we all agree that this is a crisis and that we 
need to come up with solutions and we need to do something rather than 
just talk about it.
  I support--and I think I speak for the Democrats--and we all support 
the bipartisan legislation that is being brought to the floor, not only 
the bills that are going to be considered under this rule, but many of 
the suspension bills that will be brought to the floor this week. I 
expect that they will be passed nearly unanimously.
  But I think what I do have a problem with is the fact that we have 
funded none of these things. I have a problem with the fact that some 
are content to wait until the appropriations process kind of works its 
way through this House, which, as we all know, is not going to be 
probably until December.
  We have already been informed that we will probably deal with an 
omnibus package sometime after the election. Because there is 
infighting within the Republican ranks here in the House in trying to 
come to an agreement before the election, it is just too difficult. I 
regret that very, very much because I don't think that we can wait 
until December before we actually fund some of these priorities that 
are in this bill.
  The reason why I hope my colleagues will support the Democratic 
substitute is because it actually funds. It is an appropriation. It 
funds these priorities. It puts our money where our rhetoric is. It 
makes the money available now, and we know it is there and communities 
will know that they can depend on it.
  So I think we really want to be effective in our battle against this 
scourge of opioids and heroin addiction that has touched every district 
in this country.
  We have all been to too many funerals. We have all seen the 
heartbreak up close and personal. But if we want to do something about 
it, we have to not only come up with the ideas, we have to fund these 
ideas.
  That is why I am urging that Members vote ``no'' on the previous 
question. It is so that we can bring a funding component to this. Let's 
not wait until December. This is an emergency. We should have had an 
emergency supplemental bill. That is not coming.
  So this is a chance to put some money behind these priorities and 
actually fund all these great ideas that we all, in a bipartisan way, 
say we support.
  I urge my colleagues to support all the underlying bills, but to vote 
``no'' on the previous question so we can bring this appropriations 
bill up to actually fund them. So I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' 
on the previous question and to also vote ``no'' on the rule.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, as you have heard--and we have spent the last almost 40 
minutes talking about it--the opioid epidemic is out of control, but we 
have the opportunity today to start addressing that problem in a 
meaningful way.
  The rule provides for consideration of legislation that will enact 
measures to address this problem through multiple avenues to ensure 
that we are taking a comprehensive approach to stopping this scourge.
  It takes important steps to address the serious and growing threat of 
opioid abuse. It keeps a promise that we won't sit idly by while people 
continue the battle of addiction and die.
  For that reason, I urge my colleague to support the rule and both 
H.R. 5046 and H.R. 4641.
  The material previously referred to by Mr. McGovern is as follows:

          An Amendment to H. Res. 720 Offered by Mr. McGovern

       At the end of the resolution, add the following new 
     sections:
       Sec. 3. Immediately upon adoption of this resolution the 
     Speaker shall, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XVIII, declare 
     the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on 
     the state of the Union for consideration of the bill (H.R. 
     5189) to address the opioid abuse crisis. The first reading 
     of the bill shall be dispensed with. All points of order 
     against consideration of the bill are waived. General debate 
     shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour 
     equally divided among and controlled by the respective chairs 
     and ranking minority members of the Committees on Energy and 
     Commerce and the Judiciary. After general debate the bill 
     shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. 
     All points of order against provisions in the bill are 
     waived. At the conclusion of consideration of the bill for 
     amendment the Committee shall rise and report the bill to the 
     House with such amendments as may have been adopted. The 
     previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill 
     and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening 
     motion except one motion to recommit with or without 
     instructions. If the Committee of the Whole rises and reports 
     that it has come to no resolution on the bill, then on the 
     next legislative day the House shall, immediately after the 
     third daily order of business under clause 1 of rule XIV, 
     resolve into the Committee of the Whole for further 
     consideration of the bill.
       Sec. 4. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX shall not apply to the 
     consideration of H.R. 5189.
                                  ____


        The Vote on the Previous Question: What It Really Means

       This vote, the vote on whether to order the previous 
     question on a special rule, is not merely a procedural vote. 
     A vote against ordering the previous question is a vote 
     against the Republican majority agenda and a vote to allow 
     the Democratic minority to offer an alternative plan. It is a 
     vote about what the House should be debating.
       Mr. Clarence Cannon's Precedents of the House of 
     Representatives (VI, 308-311), describes the vote on the 
     previous question on the rule as ``a motion to direct or 
     control the consideration of the subject before the House 
     being made by the Member in charge.'' To defeat the previous 
     question is to give the opposition a chance to decide the 
     subject before the House. Cannon cites the Speaker's ruling 
     of January 13, 1920, to the effect that ``the refusal of the 
     House to sustain the demand for the previous question passes 
     the control of the resolution to the opposition'' in order to 
     offer an amendment. On March 15, 1909, a member of the 
     majority party offered a rule resolution. The House defeated 
     the previous question and a member of the opposition rose to 
     a parliamentary inquiry, asking who was entitled to 
     recognition. Speaker Joseph G. Cannon (R-Illinois) said: 
     ``The previous question having been refused, the gentleman 
     from New York, Mr. Fitzgerald, who had asked the gentleman to 
     yield to him for an amendment, is entitled to the first 
     recognition.''
       The Republican majority may say ``the vote on the previous 
     question is simply a vote on whether to proceed to an 
     immediate vote on adopting the resolution . . . [and] has no 
     substantive legislative or policy implications whatsoever.'' 
     But that is not what they have always said. Listen to the 
     Republican Leadership Manual on the Legislative Process in 
     the United States House of Representatives, (6th edition, 
     page 135). Here's how the Republicans describe the previous 
     question vote in their own manual: ``Although it is generally 
     not possible to amend the rule because the majority Member 
     controlling the time will not yield for the purpose of 
     offering an amendment, the same result may be achieved by 
     voting down the previous question on the rule. . . . When the 
     motion for the previous question is defeated, control of the 
     time passes to the Member who led the opposition to ordering 
     the previous question. That Member, because he then controls 
     the time, may offer an amendment to the rule, or yield for 
     the purpose of amendment.''
       In Deschler's Procedure in the U.S. House of 
     Representatives, the subchapter titled ``Amending Special 
     Rules'' states: ``a refusal to order the previous question on 
     such a rule [a special rule reported from the Committee on 
     Rules] opens the resolution to amendment and further 
     debate.'' (Chapter 21, section 21.2) Section 21.3 continues: 
     ``Upon rejection of the motion for the previous question on a 
     resolution reported from the Committee on Rules, control 
     shifts to the Member leading the opposition to the previous 
     question, who may offer a proper amendment or motion and who 
     controls the time for debate thereon.''
       Clearly, the vote on the previous question on a rule does 
     have substantive policy implications. It is one of the only 
     available tools for those who oppose the Republican 
     majority's agenda and allows those with alternative views the 
     opportunity to offer an alternative plan.

  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time,

[[Page H2233]]

and I move the previous question on the resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Poe of Texas). The question is on 
ordering the previous question.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XX, the Chair 
will reduce to 5 minutes the minimum time for any electronic vote on 
the question of adoption of the resolution.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 215, 
nays 173, not voting 45, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 182]

                               YEAS--215

     Abraham
     Aderholt
     Allen
     Amash
     Amodei
     Babin
     Barletta
     Barton
     Benishek
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (MI)
     Blackburn
     Blum
     Bost
     Boustany
     Brat
     Bridenstine
     Brooks (AL)
     Brooks (IN)
     Buchanan
     Buck
     Bucshon
     Burgess
     Byrne
     Calvert
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Chabot
     Chaffetz
     Clawson (FL)
     Coffman
     Cole
     Collins (GA)
     Collins (NY)
     Comstock
     Conaway
     Cook
     Costello (PA)
     Cramer
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Culberson
     Curbelo (FL)
     Davis, Rodney
     Denham
     Dent
     DeSantis
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Dold
     Donovan
     Duffy
     Duncan (SC)
     Duncan (TN)
     Ellmers (NC)
     Emmer (MN)
     Farenthold
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Fleming
     Flores
     Forbes
     Fortenberry
     Foxx
     Franks (AZ)
     Frelinghuysen
     Garrett
     Gibbs
     Gibson
     Gohmert
     Goodlatte
     Gowdy
     Granger
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guinta
     Guthrie
     Hanna
     Hardy
     Harper
     Harris
     Hartzler
     Hensarling
     Hice, Jody B.
     Hill
     Holding
     Hudson
     Huizenga (MI)
     Hultgren
     Hunter
     Hurd (TX)
     Hurt (VA)
     Issa
     Jenkins (KS)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson, Sam
     Jolly
     Jones
     Jordan
     Katko
     Kelly (MS)
     King (IA)
     King (NY)
     Kinzinger (IL)
     Kline
     Knight
     Labrador
     LaHood
     Lamborn
     Lance
     LoBiondo
     Long
     Loudermilk
     Love
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Lummis
     MacArthur
     Marchant
     Marino
     Massie
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McClintock
     McHenry
     McKinley
     McMorris Rodgers
     McSally
     Meadows
     Messer
     Mica
     Miller (FL)
     Miller (MI)
     Moolenaar
     Mooney (WV)
     Mullin
     Mulvaney
     Murphy (PA)
     Neugebauer
     Newhouse
     Noem
     Nugent
     Nunes
     Olson
     Palazzo
     Palmer
     Paulsen
     Pearce
     Perry
     Pittenger
     Pitts
     Poe (TX)
     Poliquin
     Pompeo
     Posey
     Ratcliffe
     Reed
     Ribble
     Roby
     Roe (TN)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rohrabacher
     Rooney (FL)
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Ross
     Rothfus
     Rouzer
     Royce
     Salmon
     Sanford
     Scalise
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Sensenbrenner
     Sessions
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Simpson
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Stefanik
     Stewart
     Stivers
     Stutzman
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Tipton
     Trott
     Turner
     Upton
     Valadao
     Wagner
     Walden
     Walker
     Walorski
     Walters, Mimi
     Weber (TX)
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Williams
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Woodall
     Yoder
     Yoho
     Young (AK)
     Young (IA)
     Young (IN)
     Zeldin
     Zinke

                               NAYS--173

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Ashford
     Bass
     Beatty
     Becerra
     Beyer
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Bonamici
     Boyle, Brendan F.
     Brady (PA)
     Brown (FL)
     Brownley (CA)
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Capps
     Capuano
     Cardenas
     Carney
     Carson (IN)
     Castro (TX)
     Chu, Judy
     Cicilline
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Clay
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Conyers
     Cooper
     Courtney
     Crowley
     Cuellar
     Cummings
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Danny
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     Delaney
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     DeSaulnier
     Deutch
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Doyle, Michael F.
     Duckworth
     Edwards
     Ellison
     Engel
     Eshoo
     Esty
     Farr
     Foster
     Frankel (FL)
     Fudge
     Gabbard
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Graham
     Grayson
     Green, Al
     Green, Gene
     Gutierrez
     Hahn
     Heck (WA)
     Higgins
     Himes
     Hinojosa
     Honda
     Hoyer
     Huffman
     Israel
     Jackson Lee
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Kaptur
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Kennedy
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kind
     Kirkpatrick
     Kuster
     Larsen (WA)
     Lawrence
     Lee
     Levin
     Lewis
     Lieu, Ted
     Lipinski
     Loebsack
     Lofgren
     Lowenthal
     Lowey
     Lujan Grisham (NM)
     Lynch
     Maloney, Carolyn
     Maloney, Sean
     Matsui
     McCollum
     McDermott
     McGovern
     McNerney
     Meeks
     Meng
     Moore
     Moulton
     Murphy (FL)
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Nolan
     Norcross
     O'Rourke
     Pallone
     Pascrell
     Payne
     Pelosi
     Perlmutter
     Peters
     Peterson
     Pingree
     Pocan
     Polis
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Rangel
     Rice (NY)
     Richmond
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Ryan (OH)
     Sanchez, Linda T.
     Sanchez, Loretta
     Sarbanes
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schrader
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Serrano
     Sewell (AL)
     Sherman
     Sinema
     Sires
     Speier
     Swalwell (CA)
     Takano
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Tonko
     Torres
     Tsongas
     Van Hollen
     Veasey
     Vela
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Walz
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters, Maxine
     Watson Coleman
     Wilson (FL)
     Yarmuth

                             NOT VOTING--45

     Barr
     Bera
     Bishop (UT)
     Black
     Brady (TX)
     Cartwright
     Castor (FL)
     Costa
     Fattah
     Fincher
     Gosar
     Grijalva
     Hastings
     Heck (NV)
     Herrera Beutler
     Huelskamp
     Jenkins (WV)
     Joyce
     Kelly (PA)
     LaMalfa
     Langevin
     Larson (CT)
     Latta
     Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
     Meehan
     Price, Tom
     Reichert
     Renacci
     Rice (SC)
     Rigell
     Rogers (AL)
     Rokita
     Roskam
     Russell
     Slaughter
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (WA)
     Takai
     Tiberi
     Vargas
     Walberg
     Webster (FL)
     Welch
     Westmoreland
     Whitfield

                              {time}  1328

  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California and Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania 
changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
  So the previous question was ordered.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  Stated for:
  Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 182, I was at 
a hearing and not able to vote. Had I been present, I would have voted 
``yes.''
  Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 182, I was 
unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''
  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 182, I was unavoidably 
detained at a Ways and Means Committee Hearing. Had I been present, I 
would have voted ``yes.''
  Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 182, I was unavoidably 
detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''
  Mr. RENACCI. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 182, I was at a Ways and 
Means hearing and was not able to make it to the floor in time. Had I 
been present, I would have voted ``yes.''
  Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 182, I was unavoidably 
detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''
  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed 
rollcall vote No. 182. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''
  Stated against:
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall vote No. 182, I was 
unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''
  Mr. BERA. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained for one rollcall 
vote Wednesday, May 11, 2016. Had I been present I would have voted 
``no'' on rollcall No. 182.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, today, Wednesday, May 11, 2016, 
I missed the first vote in a series of votes because I was at a medical 
appointment. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall 
vote No. 182 (on ordering the previous question on H. Res. 720).
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.


                             Recorded Vote

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.
  A recorded vote was ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. This is a 5-minute vote.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 255, 
noes 163, not voting 15, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 183]

                               AYES--255

     Abraham
     Aderholt
     Allen
     Amash
     Amodei
     Babin
     Barletta
     Barr
     Barton
     Benishek
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (MI)
     Bishop (UT)
     Black
     Blackburn
     Blum
     Bost
     Boustany
     Brady (TX)
     Brat
     Bridenstine
     Brooks (AL)
     Brooks (IN)
     Buchanan
     Buck
     Bucshon
     Burgess
     Byrne
     Calvert
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Chabot
     Chaffetz
     Clawson (FL)
     Coffman
     Cole
     Collins (GA)
     Collins (NY)
     Comstock
     Conaway
     Cook
     Cooper
     Costa
     Costello (PA)
     Cramer
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Cuellar
     Culberson
     Curbelo (FL)
     Davis, Rodney
     Denham
     Dent
     DeSantis
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Dold
     Donovan
     Duckworth
     Duffy
     Duncan (SC)
     Duncan (TN)
     Ellison
     Ellmers (NC)
     Emmer (MN)
     Farenthold
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Fleming
     Flores
     Forbes
     Fortenberry
     Foxx
     Franks (AZ)
     Frelinghuysen
     Garrett
     Gibbs
     Gibson
     Gohmert
     Goodlatte
     Gosar
     Gowdy
     Granger
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guinta
     Guthrie
     Hanna
     Hardy
     Harper

[[Page H2234]]


     Harris
     Hartzler
     Heck (NV)
     Hensarling
     Hice, Jody B.
     Higgins
     Hill
     Himes
     Holding
     Hudson
     Huelskamp
     Huizenga (MI)
     Hultgren
     Hunter
     Hurd (TX)
     Hurt (VA)
     Issa
     Jenkins (KS)
     Jenkins (WV)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson, Sam
     Jolly
     Jones
     Jordan
     Kaptur
     Katko
     Keating
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     King (IA)
     King (NY)
     Kinzinger (IL)
     Kline
     Knight
     Labrador
     LaHood
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Lance
     LoBiondo
     Long
     Loudermilk
     Love
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Lummis
     Lynch
     MacArthur
     Marchant
     Marino
     Massie
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McClintock
     McHenry
     McKinley
     McMorris Rodgers
     McSally
     Meadows
     Meehan
     Messer
     Mica
     Miller (FL)
     Miller (MI)
     Moolenaar
     Mooney (WV)
     Moulton
     Mullin
     Mulvaney
     Murphy (FL)
     Murphy (PA)
     Neugebauer
     Newhouse
     Noem
     Nugent
     Nunes
     Olson
     Palazzo
     Palmer
     Pascrell
     Paulsen
     Pearce
     Perry
     Pittenger
     Poe (TX)
     Poliquin
     Pompeo
     Posey
     Price, Tom
     Ratcliffe
     Reed
     Reichert
     Renacci
     Ribble
     Rice (SC)
     Rigell
     Roby
     Roe (TN)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rohrabacher
     Rokita
     Rooney (FL)
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Roskam
     Ross
     Rothfus
     Rouzer
     Royce
     Ruppersberger
     Russell
     Salmon
     Sanford
     Scalise
     Schiff
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Sensenbrenner
     Sessions
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Simpson
     Sinema
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Stefanik
     Stewart
     Stivers
     Stutzman
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Tiberi
     Tipton
     Trott
     Turner
     Upton
     Valadao
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walker
     Walorski
     Walters, Mimi
     Walz
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Westmoreland
     Williams
     Wilson (SC)
     Womack
     Woodall
     Yoder
     Yoho
     Young (AK)
     Young (IA)
     Young (IN)
     Zeldin
     Zinke

                               NOES--163

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Ashford
     Bass
     Beatty
     Becerra
     Bera
     Beyer
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Bonamici
     Boyle, Brendan F.
     Brady (PA)
     Brown (FL)
     Brownley (CA)
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Capuano
     Cardenas
     Carney
     Carson (IN)
     Castro (TX)
     Chu, Judy
     Cicilline
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Clay
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Conyers
     Courtney
     Crowley
     Cummings
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Danny
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     Delaney
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     DeSaulnier
     Deutch
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Doyle, Michael F.
     Edwards
     Engel
     Eshoo
     Esty
     Farr
     Foster
     Frankel (FL)
     Fudge
     Gabbard
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Graham
     Grayson
     Green, Al
     Green, Gene
     Gutierrez
     Hahn
     Heck (WA)
     Honda
     Hoyer
     Huffman
     Israel
     Jackson Lee
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Kelly (IL)
     Kennedy
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kind
     Kirkpatrick
     Kuster
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lawrence
     Lee
     Levin
     Lewis
     Lieu, Ted
     Lipinski
     Loebsack
     Lofgren
     Lowenthal
     Lowey
     Lujan Grisham (NM)
     Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
     Maloney, Carolyn
     Maloney, Sean
     Matsui
     McCollum
     McDermott
     McGovern
     McNerney
     Meeks
     Meng
     Moore
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Nolan
     Norcross
     O'Rourke
     Pallone
     Payne
     Pelosi
     Perlmutter
     Peters
     Peterson
     Pingree
     Pocan
     Polis
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Rangel
     Rice (NY)
     Richmond
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruiz
     Rush
     Ryan (OH)
     Sanchez, Linda T.
     Sanchez, Loretta
     Sarbanes
     Schakowsky
     Schrader
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Serrano
     Sewell (AL)
     Sherman
     Sires
     Slaughter
     Smith (WA)
     Speier
     Swalwell (CA)
     Takano
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Tonko
     Torres
     Tsongas
     Van Hollen
     Vargas
     Veasey
     Vela
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters, Maxine
     Watson Coleman
     Welch
     Wilson (FL)
     Yarmuth

                             NOT VOTING--15

     Capps
     Cartwright
     Castor (FL)
     Fattah
     Fincher
     Grijalva
     Hastings
     Herrera Beutler
     Hinojosa
     Joyce
     Latta
     Pitts
     Takai
     Whitfield
     Wittman


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (during the vote). There are 2 minutes 
remaining.

                              {time}  1335

  Messrs. BRADY of Pennsylvania and AL GREEN of Texas changed their 
vote from ``aye'' to ``no.''
  So the resolution was agreed to.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  Stated for:
  Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 183, I was unavoidably 
detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''
  Stated against:
  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been 
present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 183.

                          ____________________