[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 155 (Tuesday, September 18, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6218-S6219]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            OPIOID EPIDEMIC

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, last night was a great moment for the 
Senate.
  We have been able to pass a broad legislative package that will 
address the opioid epidemic in many ways.
  As we all know, the opioid crisis is not nearing its end.
  We are seeing more and more Americans abuse opioid drugs every year.
  In 2016, there were 64,000 overdose deaths, and this number rose to a 
staggering 72,000 deaths in 2017.
  Right now, more than 115 people in the United States die from opioid 
overdoses every day.
  In Iowa last year, more than 200 people died from opioid misuse.
  If there is one thing we have learned, it is that no segment of 
society has been left untouched.
  The crisis has affected people all over this country. Communities 
throughout the United States are desperate for answers.
  While overcoming this crisis cannot be accomplished overnight, the 
passage of the Opioid Crisis Response Act is a huge step in the right 
direction.
  This legislation is a collection of more than 70 proposals from four 
different committees here in the Senate, including Judiciary, where I 
led six different bills through committee.
  It is important to highlight how well we worked together on both 
sides of the aisle--and across the aisle--to get to this point. This 
was a massive bipartisan effort.
  On behalf of Judiciary, not a single bill passed through committee 
without wide bipartisan support. The Judiciary Committee contributed 
six separate bills--each with different sponsors, to this larger piece 
of legislation.
  I worked with my Judiciary colleagues to get near-unanimous backing 
for each of the bills. That takes a lot of time and hard work. It takes 
some compromise. But we were able to get it done.
  Several of the bills relate to Drug Enforcement Administration 
authorities. Those bills will help empower DEA to better identify and 
stop suspicious orders, gather more information when setting annual 
quotas for opioids, and facilitate the flow of information among drug 
manufacturers and distributors to enable better reporting decisions to 
warn DEA of potential problems.
  I teamed up with my fellow Iowan, Senator Ernst, to promote higher 
participation in drug take-back programs so that unused, forgotten 
opioids don't find their way from the medicine cabinet into 
unauthorized hands.
  Another bill successfully reported out of the Judiciary Committee 
reauthorizes the Office of National Drug Control Policy. ONDCP directs, 
crafts, and coordinates the drug policy strategy for the entire Nation.
  Its reauthorization sends a message to other Federal agencies and the 
country that we will continue to have strong leadership guiding us 
through this crisis.
  Yet another bill closes a loophole addressing illegal actors peddling 
synthetic drugs, allowing law enforcement to better investigate and 
prosecute cases involving synthetics.
  Outside of the Judiciary Committee legislation, this bill also 
includes several priorities of mine, including requiring drug 
manufacturers to publicly disclose payments made to nurse practitioners 
and physician assistants, just like doctors; increasing access to 
substance abuse treatment in rural areas via telehealth; and better 
data collection to make sure taxpayer dollars are spent helping people 
who need help and not lining the pockets of crooks who take advantage 
of common people.
  While I cosponsored a number of bills in the opioid package, it is 
important to remember that this legislation is a team effort.
  The combination of bills from the Judiciary Committee, Commerce 
Committee, Finance Committee, and the HELP Committee broadly address 
the multiple facets of the epidemic.
  As we have learned through several Judiciary Committee hearings, we 
can't focus on single issues as we combat this drug crisis.
  Rather, this legislation looks at the epidemic as a whole.
  From prevention, treatment, recovery, and enforcement efforts, the 
bill runs the gamut. It contains provisions on transparency in opioid 
prescribing, family-focused residential treatment

[[Page S6219]]

options, education on drug abuse for youth, and tools for prosecuting 
peddlers of synthetic drugs.
  The Opioid Crisis Response Act addresses the front end of the problem 
through education and prevention and also tackles the back end through 
treatment and law enforcement solutions.
  I would like to recognize my colleagues and thank them for their 
cooperative spirit and determined efforts to help develop and move this 
legislation forward.
  Without reaching across the aisle and working together, we wouldn't 
be here.
  In particular, I would like to thank Senator Alexander and his staff 
for their leadership in making this happen.
  I am proud of the work we have done so far and look forward to 
continuing our bipartisan effort.
  Hopefully, this bill crosses the finish line, and we get the 
President's signature on a major piece of legislation.
  We certainly haven't solved all of our drug problems, but I will 
continue to work hard to look for more ways that Congress can help, but 
for today, we can take a brief moment to recognize what we have done in 
passing this bill.
  It is truly an important step in the right direction. This bill will 
serve Iowans and all Americans in our continued fight against the 
opioid crisis.

                          ____________________