[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 99 (Thursday, June 14, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H5161]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            OPIOID EPIDEMIC

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
New York (Ms. Stefanik) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. STEFANIK. Mr. Speaker, my district and communities across our 
Nation are being ravaged by the heroin and opioid epidemic. This crisis 
touches our homes, our friends, and our families in ways that have 
grave effects on everyday people and everyday lives.
  Over the last 15 years, heroin-related deaths have quadrupled across 
our country. In 2016, over 3,600 New Yorkers died of an opioid 
overdose, with fatalities in some counties in my district doubling and 
tripling.
  This is why, since arriving in Congress, I have worked with my 
colleagues on the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force to pass the 
Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, the 21st Century Cures Act, 
and to provide over $4 billion in funding to fight this epidemic. But 
we must continue to attack this epidemic head-on, which is why we are 
passing a package of bills this week to prevent addiction, encourage 
treatment and recovery, and improve law enforcement to keep our 
communities safe.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to continue this incredibly 
important bipartisan work so that the families we represent can get the 
relief they need.

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