[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 12, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H5038-H5040]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ADVANCING CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH ACT
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 5002) to expand the unique research initiatives authority of
the National Institutes of Health.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5002
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 ``Advancing Cutting Edge
Research Act'' or the ``ACE Research Act''.
SEC. 2. UNIQUE RESEARCH INITIATIVES.
Section 402(n)(1) of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 282(n)(1)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``or'';
(2) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period and
inserting ``; or''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
[[Page H5039]]
``(C) high impact cutting-edge research that fosters
scientific creativity and increases fundamental biological
understanding leading to the prevention, diagnosis, or
treatment of diseases and disorders, or research urgently
required to respond to a public health threat.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Burgess) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may 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 Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to express my support for H.R. 5002, the
Advancing Cutting Edge Research Act.
This important bill gives the National Institutes of Health a
critical tool to help combat the opiate crisis by giving the National
Institutes of Health director more flexibility to conduct innovative
research and to spur urgently needed research on new, nonaddictive pain
medications.
By providing these authorities, the National Institutes of Health
will be able to more easily partner with innovative companies with
cutting-edge technology to address the opiate crisis and other public
health threats.
I do want to thank colleagues from Michigan, Representatives Dingell
and former Chairman Fred Upton, for leading this important initiative.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5002, the Advancing Cutting
Edge, or ACE, Research Act.
This bill would grant NIH other transactions authority that allows
NIH flexibility in entering into agreements for cutting-edge research
that can lead to increased understanding of prevention, diagnosis, or
treatment of diseases or disorders, including substance use disorder,
as well as research that is urgently needed to respond to a public
health threat, such as the opioid crisis.
I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I commend Representative Dingell for her leadership on
this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton), the principal author on the bill.
Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this bipartisan
bill and in strong support of our continued efforts to combat this
terrible opioid epidemic that has ravaged virtually every community
across the country and so many families as well.
We all know someone who is impacted and affected by this epidemic,
and certainly my corner of the State is no different than any other
part of the country. We are struggling.
There have been real bipartisan efforts, wins, in recent years, to
address the problem. CARA, as Chairman Walden said a little bit
earlier, as part of 21st Century Cures, provided billions of dollars
for communities across the country and is delivering real results to
those who are suffering. Clearly, more work is demanded and remains.
This bill, the ACE Research Act, is part of that work. It is a
bipartisan bill that I have had the pleasure to work on with my good
colleague and friend from Michigan, Debbie Dingell. It is a balanced
bill that better allows the National Institutes of Health to partner
with innovative companies doing cutting-edge research to get
nonaddictive pain medication to those in need. That is what this bill
does. It is essential in combating the opioid epidemic.
During the hearings that we held in the Energy and Commerce
Committee, Francis Collins, the director of the NIH, requested that the
NIH be given more flexibility to pursue these new avenues. I know that
my colleague Debbie Dingell and I both had dinner last week with
Francis Collins, and he was very excited to hear that it was scheduled
for the House floor today. We look forward to its passage.
The advances in innovation can offer real hope to those who are
suffering. Folks in Michigan and across the country are counting on the
power of innovation to help us solve the opioid crisis. Let's give them
what they deserve and pass this legislation. I look forward to getting
it to the President's desk.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the
gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Dingell).
Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Pallone for
yielding and thank both Chairman Walden and Chairman Burgess for their
leadership in bringing this bill to the floor.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my legislation, H.R. 5002, the ACE
Research Act, which I am proud to author with my dear friend and
colleague from Michigan, Fred Upton.
I have lived on all sides of the opioid epidemic. My father was
addicted to opioids before anyone knew what it was or before anybody
talked about it. My sister died of a drug overdose. My husband lives in
chronic pain, and because there are no alternative drugs that are safe
for him to take, he requires opioids for his debilitating pain.
We cannot let the pendulum swing too far in either direction, and we
need to find medication for those who need it. Mr. Speaker, 25 million
Americans suffer from pain every single day. While pain may not be the
fifth vital sign, it is still a major issue that needs to be addressed
in modern medicine.
We cannot stigmatize people who legitimately suffer from real pain.
That will only make the opioid epidemic worse.
If you have lived with someone in chronic pain like I have, you know
how complicated this is. People in chronic pain are being stigmatized
now for seeking treatment that will allow them to live a decent
life. People are coming up to me with metastatic cancer, concerned that
they are not going to be able to get medicine to take care of their
pain.
Unfortunately, here is a reality none of us talk about: Nonopioid
pain medicines, like Tylenol or Motrin, come with serious side effects,
especially for those who take them every day.
One thing on which we can all agree is that we need more alternatives
to opioids in this country. This way, we can give people the relief
that they need from crippling pain while not subjecting them to the
risk of addiction.
This is going to require a lot of work and a lot of research to
accomplish, which is why it is so essential that this work begin now.
The ACE Research Act accomplishes this goal by spurring innovative
research into nonopioid pain medications at NIH, which will ultimately
lead to the next big breakthrough and bring benefits to patients.
This bill gives the NIH director what is known as Other Transaction
Authority, so the NIH will be able to more easily partner with
innovative companies who are working with cutting-edge technology to
address the opioid drug crisis and other public health threats.
In congressional testimony earlier this year, NIH Director Francis
Collins said that giving the agency this authority would improve their
ability to do the research into nonopioid drug alternatives. We heard
that, and that is what we are trying to do today. It is what we are
delivering on.
There are so many people focused on the opioid epidemic these days,
but many small startup companies are hesitant to partner with the
Federal Government on research because the terms of a grant or a
contract are too rigid and no other options are available to them.
The ACE Research Act will ensure that NIH is able to partner with
real innovators on research. You never know where that next
breakthrough might lie, and this bill will ensure that we leave no
stone uncovered. By funding research on new treatments quicker, we are
ensuring that we are going to reach patients faster.
A future with more effective nonopioid, nonaddictive drugs is a
future that we all want. That is something on which we all agree.
I want to thank my friend and colleague, Fred Upton, for working with
me on this. This is a first step toward ensuring we are doing the best
research in the country on alternatives to
[[Page H5040]]
opioids for pain medication. I also want to thank our chairman and our
ranking member, and all the members, for making today the first step.
I know too well what the pain is across this country, and what we are
doing today is a beginning. We need to work together in a bipartisan
way to address what is hurting families across this country.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 5002.
{time} 1515
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.
Mr. Speaker, I want to wholeheartedly agree with the comments we just
heard from the gentlewoman from Michigan. It is imperative that we
guard against the pendulum swinging too far in either direction.
One of the very first hearings I attended as the newest member of the
Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health in 2005 was a hearing on why
doctors do not prescribe adequate pain relief for their patients who
are in pain.
Now we fast-forward today, to the significant number of drug overdose
deaths, many of those attributed to opiates that this country has seen
in the past several years, and, clearly, it is important that the
committee do something. It is important that in doing something, we do
not further damage those people who are stable and depending upon a
pain medication regimen that works for them. But going forward, we need
to find, if we can, a way out of this predicament in the future for
future patients.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers.
I would urge support for this legislation, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of the legislation, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5002,
the ACE Research Act.
It is undeniable that more money, resources, and research needs to go
into solving the many addictions, diseases, and disorders that face our
society today.
H.R. 5002 amends the Public Health Service Act by augmenting the
National Institutes of Health's research initiatives, by introducing
more critical research that will strengthen the understanding and yield
cures to the myriad of health problems that are facing Americans today.
The ACE Research Act will provide the National Institutes of Health
with the necessary authority, resources and support it needs to further
research and increase the fundamental biological understanding of the
prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and disorders.
Additionally, the research initiatives undertaken by the National
Institutes of Health may be supported through transactions other than
contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements under the ACE Research
Act.
The ACE Research Act will provide the National Institutes of Health
with the measures to implement high impact, cutting-edge research
necessary to combat public health threats.
Further, the National Institutes of Health will be able to partner
with companies that have the technology and resources to administer
this cutting-edge research.
National Institutes of Health conducts tremendous, groundbreaking
research that investigates the causes and remedies of diseases,
addictions, ailments, and other public health areas for all people.
Moreover, the National Institutes of Health is the leading government
agency that is responsible for essential public health and biomedical
research, which helps Americans combat the health concerns that arise
daily.
The ACE Research Act will support the National Institutes of Health's
research initiatives in finding cures to the growing opioid addiction
in America today.
Opioid addiction, which includes the overuse of illicit and
prescription drugs, is taking the lives of Americans across our nation
each day.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report cited
63,632 drug overdose deaths in 2016 in America, 42,249 of which were
related to opioid overdoses.
In 2016, there were 1,375 opioid-related overdose deaths in Texas,
according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
In the city of Houston, there were 364 drug-related overdose deaths
alone that happened in 2016 according to the Treatment Canter, a highly
respected drug and alcohol addiction treatment service center.
Therefore, it is vital that research is done concerning drug abuse
and addictions, as it has been a long-term problem in our society.
According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, addiction is
``a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and
related circuitry.''
Addiction is not a choice, a moral feeling, or a lack of will-power;
it is a disease of the brain that requires proper treatment.
Addiction is a longstanding mental and physical illness that many
Americans are facing today, leading to their lives being compromised,
and in some cases even leading to their death.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is overseeing important
research to respond to this epidemic, and this bill responds favorably
to its request for more flexibility in conducting research on
treatments for opioid addiction and other disease areas.
This research may lead to scientific advances that may find solutions
to the opioid crisis, as well as solutions to other addictions and
public health threats.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 5002, which will
expand the National Institutes of Health's research initiatives to
include valuable research that will address the multitude of health
concerns facing Americans today.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Walberg). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5002.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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