Congressional Record, Volume 165 Issue 124 (Tuesday, July 23, 2019)

[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 23, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H7172-H7173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

EXPANDING FINDINGS FOR FEDERAL OPIOID RESEARCH AND TREATMENT ACT

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 3153) to direct the Director of the National
Science Foundation to support research on opioid addiction, and for
other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 3153

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.

(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Expanding
Findings for Federal Opioid Research and Treatment Act'' or
the ``EFFORT Act''.
(b) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
(1) research gaps currently exist in the prevention and
treatment of opioid addiction;
(2) the National Science Foundation's research on opioid
addiction has increased understanding of the neuroscience of
addiction, substance abuse intervention, the role of illicit
supply networks, the secondary effects on families, the use
of technology to address the opioid epidemic, and options for
alternative, non-addictive therapeutics for pain; and
(3) the National Science Foundation and the National
Institutes of Health have recognized that fundamental
questions in basic, clinical, and translational research
would benefit greatly from multidisciplinary approaches and
collaboration.

SEC. 2. NSF SUPPORT OF RESEARCH ON OPIOID ADDICTION.

The Director of the National Science Foundation, in
consultation with the Director of the National Institutes of
Health, shall support merit-reviewed and competitively
awarded research on the science of opioid addiction.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Johnson) and the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.

General Leave

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and to include extraneous material on H.R. 3153, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 3153, the EFFORT Act.
The effect of the opioid epidemic on communities across our country
is clear. Research from the CDC shows that, on average, 130 Americans
die every day after overdosing on illegal opioids. In 2017,
approximately 1.7 million Americans had a substance abuse disorder
related to opioids. Those statistics are staggering, and the effects of
this problem on our communities is heartbreaking.
While past and ongoing research conducted by the National Science
Foundation has greatly increased our knowledge of opioid addiction,
more work, of course, is needed. The basic research authorized in H.R.
3153 will extend and expand our understanding of opioid addiction and
its impact on our communities and allow us to develop more effective
evidence-based policies to address this epidemic.
I commend my colleagues, Representative Wexton and Representative
Baird, for their leadership on this good, bipartisan legislation and
urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time
Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
H.R. 3153, the Expanding Findings for Federal Opioid Research and
Treatment, or EFFORT, Act identifies gaps that exist in research of the
prevention and treatment of opioid addiction and authorizes the
National Science Foundation to support research grants in these areas.
This legislation will help drive research to understand one of the
most important issues facing our country: How do we stop the opioid
addiction crisis?
Congress must do all we can to combat opioid abuse and the continuing
increase in opioid-related deaths.
In 2017, more than 70,000 people died from drug overdoses, and
approximately 68 percent of those deaths involved opioids. With my home
State of Oklahoma being one of the leading States in opioid
prescriptions, I believe supporting programs intended to improve our
understanding of the science of addiction and combat this crisis is
just common sense.
I thank Representative Jennifer Wexton and Representative Jim Baird
for their bipartisan work on this bill. Opioid addiction affects too
many in our communities, and I applaud this effort to support more
basic research in the science of addiction.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage all the Members of this body to support this
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. Wexton).
Ms. WEXTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for yielding and for
her leadership on the very fine bills we have before the House here
this afternoon.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my bill, H.R. 3153, the
bipartisan EFFORT Act, which would expand Federal research on opioid
addiction.
Since 2011, more than 200 people in the northern Shenandoah Valley of
Virginia have lost their lives due to an opioid overdose. Some of the
highest numbers of children being born in Virginia with neonatal
abstinence syndrome have been from my district.
But these numbers don't tell the heartbreaking devastation the opioid
crisis has wrought for families who have lost their mother, their
father, their brother, their sister, or their child. Meanwhile, our law
enforcement officers and first responders are struggling with the
trauma and burnout that comes from being on the front lines of so many
tragic and needless deaths of their friends and neighbors.
Tens of thousands of Americans and more than 1,000 Virginians are
dying every year from overdoses. Addiction is an illness, and fighting
the crisis effectively requires adequate research and funding. The
EFFORT Act will help to do this by directing the National Science
Foundation to support research on the science of opioid addiction.
The NSF has done an exceptional job in establishing some of the
foundational understanding on opioid addiction, including research
regarding the use of technology to address the crisis, the secondary
effects on families, and options for alternative therapeutics for pain.
And while this research has significantly increased our understanding
of addiction, research gaps remain in a wide range of disciplines,
including, for example, social and behavioral issues such as stigma,
socioeconomic status, or treatment accessibility.

The NSF has a unique ability to help us close some of these gaps and,
in turn, to help us develop solutions. By expanding the NSF's research
on opioid addiction both within the agency, as well as jointly with the
National Institutes of Health when needed, we can more effectively
integrate clinical and basic research, obtain a broader understanding
of the science of opioid addiction and its impact, and have a more
comprehensive approach to tackling the crisis.
As a founding member of the bipartisan Freshmen Working Group on
Addiction, I have worked to be a strong advocate for addiction
prevention and recovery efforts, and I am pleased to have introduced
this legislation with my fellow freshman colleague from Indiana, Dr.
Baird. I thank him for his leadership on this issue, as well.
I urge my colleagues to support this important bipartisan
legislation.

[[Page H7173]]

Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Indiana (Mr. Baird).
Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3153, the Expanding Findings
for Federal Opioid Research and Treatment Act, also known as the EFFORT
Act.
The opioid crisis has, tragically, destroyed the lives of many
Hoosiers. According to the most recent available data from the National
Institute on Drug Abuse, in 2017, drug overdose deaths in Indiana
increased by 22\1/2\ percent from the previous year. Indiana's 2017
rate of overdose deaths at over 29 per 100,000 was significantly higher
than the national average.
This epidemic does not discriminate, and we must use evidence-based
policy to ensure the health and well-being of current and future
generations. The National Science Foundation's research has increased
what we know about addiction, and while this research is at the top of
its class, gaps still remain in the prevention and treatment of opioid
addiction.

{time} 1445

That is why I joined my colleague, Congresswoman Wexton, to introduce
the EFFORT Act, directing the National Science Foundation, in
consultation with the National Institutes of Health, to support merit-
reviewed and competitively awarded research on the science of opioid
addiction.
By expanding basic research, we can promote collaboration and further
understand how to better treat the multiple aspects of the opioid
addiction.
I hope we can see an end to this crisis soon, and I am proud that
Congress is taking action to fight back.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens).
Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3153, the
EFFORT Act.
The opioid epidemic is one of the deadliest public health emergencies
of our time, and it affects not just those addicted to opioids, but
everyone around them as well.
The numbers describing this epidemic are truly staggering. According
to the CDC, between 1999 and 2017, almost 400,000 Americans died from
an opioid-related overdose. These statistics have worsened over time,
with the CDC reporting that the number of Americans who died as the
result of an opioid-involved overdose in 2017 was six times higher than
the number who died in 1999.
My home State of Michigan has been hard-hit by this epidemic. Between
2016 and 2017, drug overdose deaths in Michigan increased by almost 14
percent, but it was not the only State suffering in this way.
In the same timeframe, 23 States, including Michigan, had a
significant increase in the rate of deaths from a drug overdose.
It is long past time that we invest in significant resources in
combating the opioid epidemic.
As chairwoman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee's
Subcommittee on Research and Technology, I have seen firsthand the
excellent work done by the National Science Foundation. Their previous
work on addiction and opioids have resulted in critical insights into
not only the psychological process of addiction, but the social impacts
of addiction as well.
Despite the progress made by the National Science Foundation, there
is no doubt that further work is essential to combat the opioid
epidemic.
H.R. 3153 will take advantage of the NSF's strength in basic research
across many disciplines, from neuroscience to social science, in
collaboration with the expertise of the National Institutes of Health
in public health.
The research authorized in this bill will allow us to develop a more
focused and effective policy to address the opioid epidemic.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend my colleagues, Representative
Wexton and Representative Baird, both of whom I have the privilege of
working with on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, for their
excellent leadership on this bipartisan bill, and I urge all of my
colleagues to join us in passing it.
Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I might
consume. I have no additional speakers.
I rise again in support of H.R. 3153, the EFFORT Act.
Opioid addiction knows no economic or political boundaries. It
affects all of us.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Representative Wexton and Representative
Baird for their bipartisan leadership on this bill. I strongly urge my
colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for
speeches. I would like to close at this time.
Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank all of the members of this
committee on both sides of the aisle and wish to recommend that we pass
the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Johnson) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3153.
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.

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