[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 74 (Wednesday, May 11, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H2276-H2280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
OPIOID USE DISORDER TREATMENT EXPANSION AND MODERNIZATION ACT
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4981) to amend the Controlled Substances Act to improve
access to opioid use disorder treatment, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4981
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Opioid Use Disorder
Treatment Expansion and Modernization Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDING.
The Congress finds that opioid use disorder has become a
public health epidemic that must be addressed by increasing
awareness and access to all treatment options for opioid use
disorder, overdose reversal, and relapse prevention.
SEC. 3. OPIOID USE DISORDER TREATMENT MODERNIZATION.
(a) In General.--Section 303(g)(2) of the Controlled
Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 823(g)(2)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (B), by striking clauses (i), (ii), and
(iii) and inserting the following:
``(i) The practitioner is a qualifying practitioner (as
defined in subparagraph (G)).
``(ii) With respect to patients to whom the practitioner
will provide such drugs or combinations of drugs, the
practitioner has the capacity to provide directly, by
referral, or in such other manner as determined by the
Secretary--
``(I) all schedule III, IV, and V drugs, as well as
unscheduled medications approved by the Food and Drug
Administration, for the treatment of opioid use disorder,
including such drugs and medications for maintenance,
detoxification, overdose reversal, and relapse prevention, as
available; and
``(II) appropriate counseling and other appropriate
ancillary services.
``(iii)(I) The total number of such patients of the
practitioner at any one time will not exceed the applicable
number. Except as provided in subclause (II), the applicable
number is 30.
``(II) The applicable number is 100 if, not sooner than 1
year after the date on which the practitioner submitted the
initial notification, the practitioner submits a second
notification to the Secretary of the need and intent of the
practitioner to treat up to 100 patients.
``(III) The Secretary may by regulation change such total
number.
``(IV) The Secretary may exclude from the applicable number
patients to whom such drugs or combinations of drugs are
directly administered by the qualifying practitioner in the
office setting.
``(iv) If the Secretary by regulation increases the total
number of patients which a qualifying practitioner is
permitted to treat pursuant to clause (iii)(II), the
Secretary shall require such a practitioner to obtain a
written agreement from each patient, including the patient's
signature, that the patient--
``(I) will receive an initial assessment and treatment plan
and periodic assessments and treatment plans thereafter;
``(II) will be subject to medication adherence and
substance use monitoring;
``(III) understands available treatment options, including
all drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for
the treatment of opioid use disorder, including their
potential risks and benefits; and
``(IV) understands that receiving regular counseling
services is critical to recovery.
``(v) The practitioner will comply with the reporting
requirements of subparagraph (D)(i)(IV).'';
(2) in subparagraph (D)--
(A) in clause (i), by adding at the end the following:
``(IV) The practitioner reports to the Secretary, at such
times and in such manner as specified by the Secretary, such
information and assurances as the Secretary determines
necessary to assess whether the practitioner continues to
meet the requirements for a waiver under this paragraph.'';
(B) in clause (ii), by striking ``Upon receiving a
notification under subparagraph (B)'' and inserting ``Upon
receiving a determination from the Secretary under clause
(iii) finding that a practitioner meets all requirements for
a waiver under subparagraph (B)''; and
(C) in clause (iii)--
(i) by inserting ``and shall forward such determination to
the Attorney General'' before the period at the end of the
first sentence; and
(ii) by striking ``physician'' and inserting
``practitioner'';
(3) in subparagraph (G)--
(A) by amending clause (ii)(IV) to read as follows:
[[Page H2277]]
``(IV) The physician has, with respect to the treatment and
management of opiate-dependent patients, completed not less
than eight hours of training (through classroom situations,
seminars at professional society meetings, electronic
communications, or otherwise) that is provided by the
American Society of Addiction Medicine, the American Academy
of Addiction Psychiatry, the American Medical Association,
the American Osteopathic Association, the American
Psychiatric Association, or any other organization that the
Secretary determines is appropriate for purposes of this
subclause. Such training shall address--
``(aa) opioid maintenance and detoxification;
``(bb) appropriate clinical use of all drugs approved by
the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of opioid
use disorder;
``(cc) initial and periodic patient assessments (including
substance use monitoring);
``(dd) individualized treatment planning; overdose
reversal; relapse prevention;
``(ee) counseling and recovery support services;
``(ff) staffing roles and considerations;
``(gg) diversion control; and
``(hh) other best practices, as identified by the
Secretary.''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(iii) The term `qualifying practitioner' means--
``(I) a qualifying physician, as defined in clause (ii); or
``(II) during the period beginning on the date of the
enactment of the Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Expansion and
Modernization Act and ending on the date that is three years
after such date of enactment, a qualifying other
practitioner, as defined in clause (iv).
``(iv) The term `qualifying other practitioner' means a
nurse practitioner or physician assistant who satisfies each
of the following:
``(I) The nurse practitioner or physician assistant is
licensed under State law to prescribe schedule III, IV, or V
medications for the treatment of pain.
``(II) The nurse practitioner or physician assistant
satisfies 1 or more of the following:
``(aa) Has completed not fewer than 24 hours of initial
training addressing each of the topics listed in clause
(ii)(IV) (through classroom situations, seminars at
professional society meetings, electronic communications, or
otherwise) provided by the American Society of Addiction
Medicine, the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, the
American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic
Association, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the
American Psychiatric Association, the American Association of
Nurse Practitioners, the American Academy of Physician
Assistants, or any other organization that the Secretary
determines is appropriate for purposes of this subclause.
``(bb) Has such other training or experience as the
Secretary determines will demonstrate the ability of the
nurse practitioner or physician assistant to treat and manage
opiate-dependent patients.
``(III) The nurse practitioner or physician assistant is
supervised by or works in collaboration with a qualifying
physician, if the nurse practitioner or physician assistant
is required by State law to prescribe medications for the
treatment of opioid use disorder in collaboration with or
under the supervision of a physician.
The Secretary may review and update the requirements for
being a qualifying other practitioner under this clause.'';
and
(4) in subparagraph (H)--
(A) in clause (i), by inserting after subclause (II) the
following:
``(III) Such other elements of the requirements under this
paragraph as the Secretary determines necessary for purposes
of implementing such requirements.''; and
(B) by amending clause (ii) to read as follows:
``(ii) Not later than one year after the date of enactment
of the Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Expansion and
Modernization Act, the Secretary shall update the treatment
improvement protocol containing best practice guidelines for
the treatment of opioid-dependent patients in office-based
settings. The Secretary shall update such protocol in
consultation with experts in opioid use disorder research and
treatment.''.
(b) Recommendation of Revocation or Suspension of
Registration in Case of Substantial Noncompliance.--The
Secretary of Health and Human Services may recommend to the
Attorney General that the registration of a practitioner be
revoked or suspended if the Secretary determines, according
to such criteria as the Secretary establishes by regulation,
that a practitioner who is registered under section 303(g)(2)
of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 823(g)(2)) is not
in substantial compliance with the requirements of such
section, as amended by this Act.
(c) Opioid Defined.--Section 102(18) of the Controlled
Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802(18)) is amended by inserting
``or `opioid' '' after ``The term `opiate' ''.
(d) Reports to Congress.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act and not less than over every 5 years
thereafter, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in
consultation with the Drug Enforcement Administration and
experts in opioid use disorder research and treatment,
shall--
(A) perform a thorough review of the provision of opioid
use disorder treatment services in the United States,
including services provided in opioid treatment programs and
other specialty and nonspecialty settings; and
(B) submit a report to the Congress on the findings and
conclusions of such review.
(2) Contents.--Each report under paragraph (1) shall
include an assessment of--
(A) compliance with the requirements of section 303(g)(2)
of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 823(g)(2)), as
amended by this Act;
(B) the measures taken by the Secretary of Health and Human
Services to ensure such compliance;
(C) whether there is further need to increase or decrease
the number of patients a waivered practitioner is permitted
to treat, as provided for by the amendment made by subsection
(a)(1);
(D) the extent to which, and proportions with which, the
full range of Food and Drug Administration-approved
treatments for opioid use disorder are used in routine health
care settings and specialty substance use disorder treatment
settings;
(E) access to, and use of, counseling and recovery support
services, including the percentage of patients receiving such
services;
(F) changes in State or local policies and legislation
relating to opioid use disorder treatment;
(G) the use of prescription drug monitoring programs by
practitioners who are permitted to dispense narcotic drugs to
individuals pursuant to a waiver under section 303(g)(2) of
the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 823(g)(2));
(H) the findings resulting from inspections by the Drug
Enforcement Administration of practitioners described in
subparagraph (G); and
(I) the effectiveness of cross-agency collaboration between
Department of Health and Human Services and the Drug
Enforcement Administration for expanding effective opioid use
disorder treatment.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the Sense of Congress that, with respect to the total
number of patients that a qualifying physician (as defined in
subparagraph (G)(iii) of section 303(g)(2) of the Controlled
Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 823(g)(2)) can treat at any one
time pursuant to such section, the Secretary of Health and
Human Services should consider raising such total number to
250 patients following a third notification to the Secretary
of the need and intent of the physician to treat up to 250
patients that is submitted to the Secretary not sooner than 1
year after the date on which the physician submitted to the
Secretary a second notification to treat up to 100 patients.
SEC. 5. PARTIAL FILLS OF SCHEDULE II CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES.
(a) In General.--Section 309 of the Controlled Substances
Act (21 U.S.C. 829) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(f) Partial Fills of Schedule II Controlled Substances.--
``(1) Partial fills.--
``(A) In general.--A prescription for a controlled
substance in schedule II may be partially filled if--
``(i) it is not prohibited by State law;
``(ii) the prescription is written and filled in accordance
with the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.),
regulations prescribed by the Attorney General, and State
law;
``(iii) the partial fill is requested by the patient or the
practitioner that wrote the prescription; and
``(iv) the total quantity dispensed in all partial fillings
does not exceed the total quantity prescribed.
``(B) Other circumstances.--A prescription for a controlled
substance in schedule II may be partially filled in
accordance with section 1306.13 of title 21, Code of Federal
Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of the
Reducing Unused Medications Act of 2016).
``(2) Remaining portions.--
``(A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph (B),
remaining portions of a partially filled prescription for a
controlled substance in schedule II--
``(i) may be filled; and
``(ii) shall be filled not later than 30 days after the
date on which the prescription is written.
``(B) Emergency situations.--In emergency situations, as
described in subsection (a), the remaining portions of a
partially filled prescription for a controlled substance in
schedule II--
``(i) may be filled; and
``(ii) shall be filled not later than 72 hours after the
prescription is issued.''.
(b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to affect the authority of the Attorney General to
allow a prescription for a controlled substance in schedule
III, IV, or V of section 202(c) of the Controlled Substances
Act (21 U.S.C. 812(c)) to be partially filled.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.
General Leave
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
[[Page H2278]]
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Kentucky?
There was no objection.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4981, the Opioid Use Disorder
Treatment Expansion and Modernization Act, introduced by the gentleman
from Indiana (Mr. Bucshon) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko).
More than 2 million Americans are living with a substance use
disorder. Evidence strongly suggests that medication-assisted treatment
can have a significant impact on combating this epidemic.
H.R. 4981 would amend the Controlled Substance Act to expand access
to medication-assisted treatment for patients with substance use
disorders while improving the quality of care provided and minimizing
the potential for drug diversion.
For the first time, this bill would authorize nurse practitioners and
physician assistants to prescribe maintenance treatment in an office-
based setting after meeting certain training requirements.
H.R. 4981 would improve the training that all qualifying
practitioners receive, and it would maintain the critical role
counseling and other recovery support services play in the provision of
quality medication-assisted treatment.
Further, the bill would require HHS to perform a thorough review of
opioid use disorder so we know what is working well and where there is
a need for further improvement.
H.R. 4981 is the product of extensive bipartisan discussion at the
Energy and Commerce Committee, and I urge my colleagues to join me in
supporting it.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4981, the Opioid Use Disorder
Treatment Expansion and Modernization Act.
Despite the fact that we are in the middle of an unprecedented opioid
and heroin crisis, we know that treatment gaps continue to limit our
ability to address the growing crisis. Only 1 in 10 people struggling
with addiction receive any form of treatment, despite the fact that we
have evidence-based, medication-assisted treatment for those struggling
with prescription drug or heroin addiction.
One available treatment is buprenorphine. The medication is safely
prescribed from an office setting similar to any other medication a
patient might take.
Unfortunately, in the midst of our current opioid epidemic,
currently, physicians are restricted to how many patients they are
allowed to treat with this medication, and nurse practitioners and
physician assistants are not allowed to treat patients with this
medication at all.
As a result, many patients are placed on prolonged waiting lists with
addiction specialists as they await access to this treatment. This is
not acceptable.
We must significantly increase the cap of the number of patients a
physician can treat, as well as permanently allow nurse practitioners
and physician assistants to treat patients with this medication.
Today's legislation is not perfect, but it is the first step toward
reaching bicameral, bipartisan agreement on a package that meets these
goals. I remain committed to working with my colleagues to expand
access to this important evidence-based treatment as we move to
conference with the Senate.
I want to thank the bill's sponsors, fellow members of the Committee
on Energy and Commerce, Representative Paul Tonko and Representative
Larry Bucshon, for introducing this legislation. I urge my colleagues
to support the Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Expansion and
Modernization Act.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Indiana (Mr. Bucshon), a cosponsor of this piece of legislation.
Mr. BUCSHON. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4981, the Opioid Use Disorder
Treatment Expansion and Modernization Act, is the product of months of
stakeholder engagement, expert input, and bipartisan negotiation.
The opioid epidemic has left no area of this Nation untouched. Day in
and day out, we hear from our constituents and see in the news the
direct impact this has on the everyday lives of our fellow citizens.
The evidence is clear that this epidemic is growing and it will
continue to grow unless immediate action is taken.
As a doctor, a father, and a public policymaker, I want to do my part
to help our communities overcome this challenge. That is why I am proud
to offer H.R. 4981, the Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Expansion and
Modernization Act today with my colleague from New York (Mr. Tonko).
We have worked together over the past several months to find common
ground and move forward with a well-crafted policy solution. Our final
bill represents months of stakeholder engagement and bipartisan work to
improve access and quality treatment for opioid use disorder while
limiting diversion of treatment medications for abuse themselves.
H.R. 4981 targets four main areas:
Increase access to opioid use disorder treatment where it is most
needed;
Empower physicians through education, training, and quality-of-care
measures;
Encourage a multi-pronged approach to opioid use disorder treatment;
Deter bad actors and reduce diversion, as previously was mentioned.
This is a positive step toward increasing access for treatment for
opioid use disorder while raising the quality of care and reducing
diversion.
Again, I want to thank Mr. Tonko and all those who have worked with
us throughout this process. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4981's
passage, and I look forward to productive discussions with the Senate
to get critical opioid legislation to the President's desk.
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko), a fellow member on the Committee
on Energy and Commerce.
Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for
yielding.
I rise in support of H.R. 4981, Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
Expansion and Modernization Act, which I have had the honor of working
on with my colleague and friend, Representative Larry Bucshon, in
introducing.
At the outset, I would like to thank Representative Bucshon and his
staff, as well as the hard work of individuals on the committee staff,
and our committee leaders, Chairman Upton and Ranking Member Pallone,
to get this bill to this point.
I would also like to praise my colleague and fellow New Yorker,
Representative Brian Higgins, for his introduction and leadership on
the TREAT Act, without which we would not be making this progress
today.
It is no hyperbole to announce that we are in a crisis when it comes
to the opioid epidemic sweeping our Nation. More than 47,000 people
have died of drug overdoses in 2014--family members, friends, and
neighbors within that 47,000, for each and every one of us--a vast
majority of which were opioid-related.
It is a sign of the times that when you drive down the thruway in my
district in upstate New York, instead of billboards advertising for
McDonald's or Taco Bell, you see billboards advising to you call 911 in
case of an opioid overdose.
It is disturbing how quickly this has become the new normal. This
crisis has affected our neighbors, our families, and our beloved
communities.
Having worked with the addiction recovery community, I know that one
of the most important things we can do as policymakers is to ensure
that when an individual struggling with addiction cries out for help,
that there is someone there to answer the call. That is what this bill
endeavors to do.
Right now, treatment capacity for those seeking help for opioid use
disorder in an office-based setting is artificially capped at 100
patients. What this means in reality is that if you are patient 101 or
102, you get a closed door and have to wait weeks, if not months, for
treatment. Expectedly, these delays can be deadly.
[[Page H2279]]
The legislation before us will support the goal of raising the caps
for qualified physicians to 250, expanding existing opioid treatment
capacity by some 150 percent, all while ensuring the care that
individuals receive is high quality and minimizes the risk of
diversion.
In addition, this legislation will, for the first time, expand
buprenorphine-prescribing authority to nurse practitioners and
physician assistants who meet certain training requirements and comply
with applicable State laws.
By bringing these practitioners into the fold, we can expand
treatment capacity, especially in rural areas where physicians
oftentimes might be few and far between.
Importantly, this bill expands access to high-quality addiction
treatment, promoting the full range of psychosocial services that makes
recovery possible, and providing HHS with new tools to remove bad
actors from the system.
Any Member interested in decreasing the unlawful diversion of
buprenorphine should support this legislation.
This legislation is not perfect, and I would still like to see a
higher patient limit for the top class of physicians.
In the midst of this crisis, ensuring access for all needs to be our
utmost top priority. No matter where we ultimately land on this
arbitrary number, we will still be closing the door on someone who
needs our help. We would not accept this in any other field of
medicine, so we all need to think long and hard about why we are
allowing this situation to persist in the field of addiction.
In addition, I would like to draw attention to two changes made to
this bill before floor consideration. First, instead of statutorily
lifting the DATA 2000 caps, this legislation includes a sense of
Congress, if you will, that the caps should be lifted.
Secondly, this legislation would time-limit the expansion of
prescribing authority to nurse practitioners and physician assistants
to some 3 years.
Both of these temporary changes were made to bring the bill into
compliance with PAYGO procedures for floor consideration and must be
fixed as we move this bill into conference.
{time} 1845
I would just ask, Mr. Speaker, are we firm in our commitment to
combat the addiction to heroin? Are we firm in our efforts to assist
those who struggle with the illness of addiction? Do we stand for
providing true hope to individuals who count on us to provide the
resources along with the legislation to make life available to them?
I would suggest that this House and the Senate look hard and fast at
providing resources that are real and that provide for an effective
outcome. If we fail to find a path forward for a meaningful expansion
of the physician caps and certainly the nurse practitioners' and
physician assistants' prescribing authority, then we are rationing
care, pure and simple.
The starting point for any conference discussion should be the bill
as reported out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In any
final legislation, we must include a statutory lifting of the DATA 2000
caps as well as full authority for our NPs and PAs. I would ask for the
commitment of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in
continuing to work toward these goals.
Notwithstanding these issues, I believe it is critically important to
keep up the momentum and to pass this bill. Even in its imperfect form,
this bill will make a huge difference in the lives of those who
struggle with this disease. If we cannot find a way to get a bill to
the President's desk that will provide needed relief in the midst of
this epidemic, shame on us.
While this legislation is not a cure-all for the opioid epidemic, I
believe the Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Expansion and Modernization
Act will go far in helping to alleviate our acute treatment capacity
issues and put more people on the path to recovery. I ask my colleagues
in this House and down the hall in the Senate to support a bill--this
bill--so that we can bring hope, truly bring hope into the lives of
those individuals, those families, and those communities who grapple
with this crisis on a daily basis.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, people come here to the
people's House from all walks of life. We are blessed to have a
pharmacist amongst us. The only pharmacist here. These are difficult
issues. Legal prescription drugs are diverted and abused, and heroin is
illegal. It is great to have his expertise.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Georgia (Mr. Carter).
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. I thank the gentleman from Kentucky for
yielding and for his efforts, along with Dr. Bucshon and others across
the aisle, Congressman Gene Green and all those who have been involved
in this. This is a very important subject.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4981 because making sure
modern treatments are available for opioid addiction should be one of
our top priorities in the fight against opioid drug abuse.
H.R. 4981 makes reforms to the Controlled Substances Act that would
modernize the way doctors approach opioid addiction and how patients
obtain treatment. These reforms, which make treatment tools more
available to patients, are one more step we can take to improve
treatment services for patients. With these reforms, more patients will
receive higher quality care, increasing the success of overall
treatment.
As a lifelong healthcare professional, I have witnessed patients
firsthand who have struggled with receiving care for their addiction.
We must stop the cycle of failing to provide patients with proper care
because the system is not adequately structured to provide it.
The only way we are able to provide the appropriate care is if we
continue to support the evolution of treatment and care for this ever-
changing opioid abuse epidemic. That is why I am supporting H.R. 4981.
By reforming the way treatment is provided, we can begin to truly help
all patients with opioid addiction.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I encourage and urge my colleagues to
support this very important bill, H.R. 4981.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4981 the
``Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Expansion and Modernization Act''.
This bill highlights the abuse of opioids that has become a public
health epidemic.
Opioids are drugs with effects similar to opium, such as heroin and
certain pain medications.
H.R. 4981 would encourage and train health care providers to
prescribe overdose reversal drugs, such as Naloxone, when they
prescribe common opioids-like pain medication to patients at risk of
addiction.
The plague of opioid overdose deaths across the nation is disturbing,
but there are ways to combat this trend.
Any party receiving treatment assessments under this legislation will
be privy to the following.
1. A treatment plan and periodic assessments.
2. Will also be subject to medication adherence and substance use
monitoring.
3. Treatment options, including all drugs approved by the Food and
Drug Administration for the treatment of opioid use disorder, including
their potential risks and benefits.
4. Receiving regular counseling services is critical to recovery.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nearly
259 million opioid prescriptions were written in 2012, more than enough
for every adult in the United States.
Enacting this legislation will implement a diversion control plan
that contains specific measures to reduce the likelihood of the
diversion of controlled substances prescribed by the physician for the
treatment of opioid use disorder.
In 2013 nearly 4.5 million people in the United States without a
valid medical need were using prescription painkillers.
Both states and the federal government have begun responding to this
growing public health crisis.
The Obama administration has awarded $94 million to community health
centers to improve and expand the delivery of substance abuse services.
Mr. Speaker, the mounting number of people adversely affected and the
over 25,000 lives lost expressly demonstrates the need for this type of
legislation.
H.R. 4981 is a positive step in the right direction and I urge all
members to support this important legislation.
[[Page H2280]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 4981, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________