[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 185 (Wednesday, November 8, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5428-S5429]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. DURBIN:
S. 3251. A bill to modify the boundary of the Lincoln Home National
Historic Site in the State of Illinois; to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam 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. 3251
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 ``Lincoln Home National
Historic Site Boundary Modification Act''.
SEC. 2. LINCOLN HOME NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE BOUNDARY
MODIFICATION.
Public Law 92-127 (54 U.S.C. 320101 note; 85 Stat. 347) is
amended--
(1) in the first section--
(A) by striking ``That, in order to'' and inserting the
following:
``SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF LINCOLN HOME NATIONAL HISTORIC
SITE.
``(a) In General.--To''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(b) Boundary Modification.--The boundary of the Lincoln
Home National Historic Site established under subsection (a)
is modified as generally depicted on the map entitled
`Proposed Boundary Expansion of the Lincoln Home National
Historic Site' and dated February 26, 2021.'';
(2) in section 2--
(A) by striking the section designation and all that
follows through ``The'' and inserting the following:
``SEC. 2. ADMINISTRATION.
``(a) In General.--The''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(b) Accessibility.--To improve accessibility, the
Secretary of the Interior shall modify the following areas
located within the boundary of the Lincoln Home National
Historic Site to provide universal design and accessibility
without the use of sloped surfaces:
``(1) The intersection at 8th Street and Jackson Street.
``(2) The area in front of the home of Abraham Lincoln.'';
and
(3) in section 3, by striking the section designation and
all that follows through ``There are'' and inserting the
following:
``SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``There are''.
[[Page S5429]]
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By Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Lujan, and Mr.
Cornyn):
S. 3259. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize
and expand technical assistance and support for recovery community
organizations and peer support networks, and for other purposes; to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, today I rise to introduce the Peer
Support Services Center of Excellence Act, a bipartisan bill that I
have authored to help combat the vast and growing opioid epidemic. I
want to acknowledge and thank Senator Shaheen for her leadership on
this effort, and I look forward to continuing to work with her and
others on this important legislation.
Last year in Maine, 716 people died from a drug overdose--a record
number. Tragically, this was the third consecutive year that Maine set
a record for fatal overdoses. Nationwide, nearly 110,000 Americans were
lost in 2022 to overdoses. It is clear that we need to take an all-of-
the-above approach to tackle this crisis. This includes support for
education and prevention, treatment, law enforcement, and border
security. No single focus will be enough on its own.
One ongoing challenge to reducing the number of overdose deaths is
that far too often individuals suffer an addiction relapse. Indeed, a
nonfatal overdose is a leading predictor for a future fatal overdose.
We must do more to address this reality. Between 40 and 60 percent of
individuals in treatment for substance use disorders relapse, and this
rate is often much higher for those struggling with opioid addiction.
Relapse rates are high, but that does not mean relapse is inevitable.
One way that individuals struggling with addiction are finding
support is through peer recovery groups. In 2018, Senator Shaheen and I
introduced the Opioid Peer Support Networks Act, much of which was
enacted as part of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act that
year. Our bill fostered the expansion of peer support networks through
the creation of a National Peer-Run Training and Technical Assistance
Center for Addiction Recovery Support. This center provides no-cost
training and assistance to recovery community organizations, or RCOs,
and peer support networks to integrate peer support workers into
nontraditional settings, build and strengthen the capacity of RCOs,
enhance the professionalism of peers through workforce development, as
well as provide evidence-based and practice-based tool kits and
resource information to stakeholders.
This national center has enhanced the field of peer recovery support
services. Through the center's work, in fiscal year 2022, nearly 2,000
individuals were trained in how to support RCOs and peer support
networks, and nearly 200 individuals were trained to provide
specialized technical assistance, evaluate and improve the
effectiveness of services provided by RCOs, and offer translation and
interpretation services, data collection support, and capacity building
expertise. This training is improving the services that are offered by
organizations across our country, and the center has provided a
platform for experts and recovery centers to learn from each other's
experiences.
In peer support networks, individuals and families battling addiction
help one another stay firm on the road to recovery by assisting with
employment, education, housing, health and overall well-being. I have
visited the Bangor Area Recovery Network, or BARN, in Brewer, ME, which
is a volunteer-led organization that provides support to individuals
recovering from addiction. BARN is a model for peer-led counseling and
brings hope, recovery support, and healing to those struggling with
substance abuse. Individuals who are themselves in recovery can make
that critical connection to others facing addiction, which, in turn,
can make the recovery process sustainable and reduce the stigma of
addiction and treatment.
In recent years, in response to growing need and community efforts to
expand recovery programming, Maine has seen the presence of RCOs like
BARN grow across our State. As of January 2023, there were 19 recovery
centers--from Sanford to Caribou--operated by people in recovery who
are serving their local communities by offering peer-based support
services, among other activities.
After touring BARN and other similar organizations, I believe the
emergence of peer-based and other recovery support services is one of
the most significant trends in the addiction field. Peer-based recovery
support services are unique in that they cover a wide range of
activities not generally offered by treatment providers. This includes
recovery coaching, support groups, sober social activities, as well as
housing, transportation, and employment services. In offering services
beyond treatment, this model provides the strong support system that is
essential to recovery. As one of BARN's core beliefs tells us, ``A
supportive community is vital to a successful recovery.''
The Opioid Peer Support Networks Act brought critical training and
assistance to these on-the-ground peer-to-peer networks and helped
build up these important recovery support systems. Our new bill
reauthorizes the National Peer-Run Training and Technical Assistance
Center for Addiction Recovery Support that is set to expire, and it
expands upon the work made possible by our bill that was enacted 5
years ago. In addition to reauthorizing the center, our bill would
create a pilot program for a regional center of excellence that could
assist the national center and tailor its work to the needs of a
particular region.
We believe that the development of regional assistance programs,
along with the continuation of a national center, will promote
coordination and effectiveness of technical assistance delivery.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, utilizing a regional model to grow the national
center's reach may be an effective way to triage and distribute
technical assistance requests and ensure that all entry points are
coordinated centrally by retaining the National Center.
Tackling the opioid epidemic, both its causes and consequences,
requires a multi-pronged approach. The bipartisan bill I have
introduced continues and builds upon one proven way to respond to this
growing problem--supporting individuals in recovery through proven
support systems.
I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.
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