[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 99 (Thursday, June 14, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H5158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      ADDRESSING THE OPIOID CRISIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from West 
Virginia (Mr. Jenkins) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JENKINS of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, the opioid crisis touches 
nearly every family in West Virginia, with too many lives lost to the 
disease of addiction. It is an issue I hear about every day.
  As the opioid epidemic forces increasing numbers of children into 
foster care, we see more and more grandparents being left to raise 
their grandchildren. These grandparents face the task of caring for 
young children while navigating a complex child welfare system.

                              {time}  1030

  Many have little support and are also coping even with their adult 
child's addiction.
  We must make it easier for grandparents who love and care for their 
grandchildren to navigate the system. Bills like the Assisting States' 
Implementation of Plans of Safe Care Act aim to make it easier for 
families to gain custody of kids who have been removed from their 
parents' care due to drug abuse. Allowing these family members to 
provide critical emotional support and stability to kids who have had 
their worlds turned upside down seems like common sense.
  Once in a stable home, support is still needed. Many of these 
grandparents never thought they would be raising another young child. 
The Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act would provide 
them with information and resources to help them meet the needs of the 
children that they are caring for.
  The opioid crisis cannot be solved overnight, but we must keep 
fighting. We must enable families to come together to do what families 
do best, and that is help one another. We need to support those who are 
unexpectedly caring for young children and provide them with the 
support they need to raise healthy and happy kids.

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