[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 106 (Monday, June 25, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E905]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





  SUBSTANCE USE-DISORDER PREVENTION THAT PROMOTES OPIOID RECOVERY AND 
               TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS AND COMMUNITIES ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. JOSEPH CROWLEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 22, 2018

  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge Congress to pass a 
Motion to Recommit on H.R. 6, which includes my Opioid Workforce Act.
  Many of the victims of the opioid crisis are clear: the young people 
whose lives have been cut short and the working individuals who 
struggle every day to break the bonds of addiction. But there is also a 
wider impact: families left without breadwinners to support them, 
children left without a parent to raise them, and communities slowly 
hollowed out as more and more individuals fall victim to addiction. 
That means that our strategy to address this national crisis must be 
comprehensive, multi-faceted, and sustainable.
  This Motion would bring us closer to a comprehensive strategy that 
ensures all Americans have access to treatment for substance use 
disorders. By increasing the supply of physicians trained in addiction 
and pain management while expanding access to medication-assisted 
treatment, this motion would ensure that individuals with substance use 
disorders are not left behind. Further, by doubling the size and scope 
of our national investment in the opioid epidemic, this motion 
strengthens our public health infrastructure to address this epidemic 
of tragic proportions.
  I am proud that my recently introduced legislation, the Opioid 
Workforce Act, was included as part of this motion. This legislation 
would provide additional residency positions to hospitals that have or 
are establishing residency programs in addiction medicine, addiction 
psychiatry, or pain management. Without more physicians trained in 
treating substance use disorders, we won't be able to address the 
opioid epidemic.
  But beyond this motion, and beyond this bill, we must consider the 
downstream effects on communities that were already once left behind by 
the failed war on drugs. Many communities in my district are still 
recovering from the aftermath of the failed ``tough on crime'' tactics 
of the 80s and 90s. Residents have not properly dealt with their 
addictions because of the fear of criminal retribution. While we work 
as a nation to address the opioid crisis, we must not repeat our past 
mistakes that left behind our most vulnerable communities.
  Addressing this epidemic will take an investment of federal 
resources, multiple perspectives at the table, and persistence to get 
it right. I urge my colleagues to pass this motion as a robust first 
step on this long-term journey.

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