[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.''.
____________________