[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.

                          ____________________