[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 26, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3696-S3697]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. THUNE (for himself, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Braun, Mr. Crapo, 
        Mr. Daines, Ms. Ernst, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Hagerty, Mr. Hoeven, 
        Ms. Lummis, Mr. Risch, and Mr. Rounds):
  S. 4610. A bill to provide reliable and evidence-based food and 
energy security; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 4610

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Food and Energy Security 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Agriculture or closely related business.--The term 
     ``agriculture or closely related business'' means a for-
     profit or not-for-profit entity that is involved in the 
     production of agriculture products or livestock or involved 
     in the supply chain of an entity involved in the production 
     of agriculture products or livestock.
       (2) Energy or closely related business.--The term ``energy 
     or closely related business'' means a for-profit or not-for-
     profit entity that is involved in the production, 
     development, or marketing of electricity, fuel (including 
     biofuels), or other related products or involved in the 
     supply chain of an entity involved in the production, 
     development, or marketing of electricity, fuel (including 
     biofuels), or other related products.
       (3) Federal regulator.--The term ``Federal regulator'' 
     means--
       (A) the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System;
       (B) the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency;
       (C) the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation;
       (D) the Financial Stability Oversight Council;
       (E) the National Credit Union Administration;
       (F) the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection;
       (G) the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; and
       (H) the Securities and Exchange Commission.

     SEC. 3. REGULATIONS AND GUIDANCE.

       (a) In General.--As part of any public notice of a proposed 
     regulation or guidance and final regulation or guidance that 
     could affect the extension of capital to or investments in an 
     agriculture or closely related business or an energy or 
     closely related business, a Federal regulator shall provide a 
     detailed analysis of the estimated impact the regulation or 
     guidance would have on food prices, electricity prices, and 
     fuel prices, as applicable, including a description of the 
     methodology and variables used to arrive at the estimates.
       (b) Contents.--The estimated impacts required under 
     subsection (a) shall include how the proposed regulation or 
     guidance or final regulation or guidance of the Federal 
     regulator would, as applicable, affect--
       (1) food prices (broken down by subcategories as listed in 
     the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers by the 
     Bureau of Labor Statistics, as relevant) over 1 year, 3 
     years, 5 years, and 10 years;
       (2) electricity prices (broken down by subcategories as 
     listed in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers by 
     the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as relevant) over 1 year, 3 
     years, 5 years, and 10 years; and
       (3) fuel prices (broken down by subcategories as listed in 
     the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers by the 
     Bureau of Labor Statistics, as relevant) over 1 year, 3 
     years, 5 years, and 10 years.

     SEC. 4. PROHIBITION.

       A Federal regulator shall not implement any regulation or 
     guidance that could affect, directly or indirectly, the 
     extension of capital to or investments in an agriculture or 
     closely related business or an energy or closely related 
     business if--
       (1) the analysis of estimated impacts under section 3 
     estimate that implementation of the regulation or guidance 
     would result in an increase in food prices, electricity 
     prices, or fuel prices; and
       (2) the annualized rate of increase in the Consumer Price 
     Index for All Urban Consumers most recently published by the 
     Bureau of Labor Statistics is 4.5 percent or greater.

     SEC. 5. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

       Nothing in this Act may be construed as affecting any 
     regulation or guidance of a Federal regulator that was 
     implemented before January 1, 2022.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Mr. Cardin):
  S. 4618. A bill to improve access to opioid use disorder treatment 
services under the Medicare program; to the Committee on Finance.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, the opioid epidemic continues to claim 
the lives of far too many people, with record numbers of both Mainers 
and Americans lost in 2021. While many perceive the face of opioid 
addiction as young, the epidemic harms older adults as well. In Maine, 
more than 10 percent of drug overdose deaths last year were among 
residents 60 and older.
  Each and every opioid death is preventable, but we must ensure the 
unique needs of seniors struggling with addiction are not forgotten. 
That is why I rise today with my colleague from Maryland, Senator 
Cardin, to introduce legislation to improve seniors' awareness of, and 
access to, opioid use disorder, OUD, treatment covered by the Medicare 
Program. Our bill, the Supporting Seniors with Opioid Use Disorder Act 
of 2022, is in response to recent findings from the inspector general 
that confirm the urgent need to increase the number of Medicare 
beneficiaries receiving treatment for opioid use disorder.
  The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the increased 
prevalence of fentanyl, have aggravated this national crisis. Even 
before COVID-19, however, the number of people age 55 or older treated 
in emergency rooms for nonfatal opioid overdoses was increasing, with a 
shocking 32 percent jump in E.R. visits from 2016 to 2017. In 2018, as 
chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, I chaired a hearing 
on this very topic in attempt to shed light on this often-overlooked 
population. One expert witness told the Aging Committee, ``Medicare 
beneficiaries are the fastest growing population of diagnosed opioid 
use disorders.''
  Compounding these disturbing statistics is a December 2021 Department 
of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, OIG, report 
exploring whether Medicare beneficiaries with opioid use disorder 
receive medication and behavioral therapy. It found more than 1 million 
Medicare beneficiaries were diagnosed with OUD in 2020, yet fewer than 
16 percent of those patients received medication to treat their OUD. 
The report also concluded older beneficiaries were three times less 
likely to receive medication to treat their OUD than younger 
beneficiaries. Even fewer beneficiaries received both medication and 
behavioral therapy. The conclusion is clear: Medicare beneficiaries are 
not receiving the OUD treatment they need.
  Our bill, the Supporting Seniors with Opioid Use Disorder Act of 
2022, would codify the recommendations made by the HHS OIG regarding 
how to improve beneficiaries' awareness of Medicare coverage for OUD 
treatment and how to identify current gaps and opportunities to better 
meet the needs of this unique population. Specifically, our legislation 
would require CMS to conduct additional outreach to beneficiaries to 
increase awareness about Medicare coverage for the treatment of OUD, 
such as by revising outreach and enrollment materials, making State and 
national contact information for healthcare providers publicly 
available in an easily accessible manner, and developing or improving 
continuing education programs on opioid medications

[[Page S3697]]

and substance use disorder treatment programs. Our bill would also 
improve data sharing within Agencies at HHS with the goal of obtaining 
a better understanding of current treatment gaps.
  Lastly, the bill would require HHS to convene a stakeholder meeting 
to share best practices on the use of behavioral therapy among 
beneficiaries receiving medication to treat opioid use disorder. 
Emerging research points to evidence that patients receiving medication 
to treat opioid use disorder may also benefit from behavioral therapy, 
so this opportunity for collaboration on strategies to support better 
treatment engagement and continuity could be beneficial to both 
patients and healthcare professionals.
  The overdose crisis continues to ravage the country, and it is 
critical that people who are suffering from opioid use disorder have 
access to the treatment they need to survive and thrive--including our 
seniors. Challenges in treatment and recovery undoubtedly persist, but 
the actions taken in this legislation can help guide our continued 
response. I urge my colleagues to support the adoption of this 
important legislation that will support seniors' access to opioid use 
disorder services and our understanding of potential disparities in 
treatment.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Ms. Duckworth):
  S. 4624. A bill to amend the Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program 
Authorization Act of 2018 to support multijurisdictional task forces 
that investigate and disrupt illegal firearm trafficking and straw 
purchasing, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 4624

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Officer Ella Grace French 
     Task Force Support Act of 2022''.

     SEC. 2. AMENDMENT.

       Section 4(b) of the Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant 
     Program Authorization Act of 2018 (34 U.S.C. 60703(b)) is 
     amended--
       (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``or'' at the end;
       (2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at the end and 
     inserting ``; or''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(4) support for multijurisdictional task forces that 
     coordinate efforts between Federal, State, Tribal, 
     territorial, and local agencies to investigate and disrupt 
     illegal firearms trafficking and straw purchasing.''.

                          ____________________