[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 148 (Wednesday, September 13, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1210-E1211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. DAVID N. CICILLINE

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 12, 2017

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3354) making 
     appropriations for the Department of the Interior, 
     environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending 
     September 30, 2018, and for other purposes:

  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment which 
supports expanding access to Naloxone for first responders.
  Equipping police officers and EMTs with Naloxone means they can 
immediately save the life of a person who is overdosing.
  Although drug overdose deaths rose by 33 percent in the past five 
years, states, like Rhode Island, Maryland and Pennsylvania, are 
experiencing severe shortages of Naloxone. The cost of Naloxone has 
skyrocketed--rising by thousands of dollars in some cases--and it only 
has a shelf life of 18 to 24 months.
  States have had to find alternate sources of funding, including 
tapping into emergency funds and cutting state programs, just to keep 
Naloxone in stock.
  Some communities have also had to make extremely tough choices, like 
rationing funds and deciding how many lives they will save.
  We must make additional investments in Naloxone for our first 
responders in order to stem the rising tide of opioid deaths.
  I urge my colleagues to support my amendment.

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