[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 75 (Thursday, May 12, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H2288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            OPIOID ADDICTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, opioid addiction has proven to destroy 
hope, it destroys opportunity, and it is destroying families.
  Certainly we see this across the country, but we are also seeing the 
devastating effects of addiction in Tennessee. Tennessee has the second 
highest rating nationally for opioid addiction.
  As many States are exceedingly aware, drug overdose is the leading 
cause of accidental death in this country. As we started working on 
this issue in the Committee on Energy and Commerce, so many people did 
not realize that prescription drug abuse is the leading cause of 
accidental death in our country, with over 18,000 fatalities last year. 
Addiction does not care about race, gender, or politics. It is an issue 
that affects all of us, and it affects the people that we are here to 
serve.
  Together many of us--families and those that we love in our 
communities--are working to find solutions that will combat this 
epidemic and help remedy those who are suffering from addiction the 
most. Just this week--and you can look at the bills that have been on 
the agenda and have passed the House; many of these are being done with 
bipartisan support--there have been 15 amendments to these bills. They 
have all passed by voice vote.
  What the bills will do is to streamline the burdensome bureaucracy 
which currently debilitates finding a solution for this crisis.
  I commend my colleagues for focusing on this issue and for saying: 
What do we do to get to the root cause of this problem and put the 
tools in place so that, at the local, State, and Federal levels, this 
can be addressed and it can be solved?
  One of the things that we have done is to improve the situation with 
the VA and the oversight mechanisms that they have to make certain that 
our veterans are being protected and that the issues of addiction are 
being appropriately addressed and dealt with.
  Earlier this year we achieved a success that is one way that the 
Federal Government can help in the work that our State legislators are 
doing. In my State of Tennessee, State Senator Dr. Joey Hensley and 
State Representative Barry Doss have been the leaders on these issues 
for our general assembly.
  The legislation that I authored along with Congressman Tom Marino was 
signed into law and ensures access to proper medication for patients 
with legitimate needs while allowing us to continue battling the drug 
diversion and abuse problem that exists here in our country. It will 
enable our local and State officials to move forward, address the pill 
mills, and, at the same time, make certain that patients with needs 
have access.
  The legislation is called the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective 
Drug Enforcement Act of 2016. What it will do is to combat the 
inappropriate use of prescription drugs by bringing greater clarity--
something that is needed in so many laws and rules--but bringing 
greater clarity and transparency to the requirements needed for safe 
and secure distribution of medications.
  Mr. Speaker, the people battling addiction are moms and dads, 
brothers and sisters and children, neighbors and friends. They are 
saying: We need your help. Our healthcare professionals and our 
pharmacists have said: We need clarity. That is what we in the House 
are seeking to do this week.

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