[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15143-15147]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                  DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT ACT OF 2000

  Mr. BLILEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2634) to amend the Controlled Substances Act with respect to 
registration requirements for practitioners who dispense narcotic drugs 
in schedule IV or V for maintenance treatment or detoxification 
treatment, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2634

       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 ``Drug Addiction Treatment Act 
     of 2000''.

     SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT.

       (a) In General.--Section 303(g) of the Controlled 
     Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 823(g)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``(A) security'' and 
     inserting ``(i) security'', and by striking ``(B) the 
     maintenance'' and inserting ``(ii) the maintenance'';
       (2) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (3) as 
     subparagraphs (A) through (C), respectively;
       (3) by inserting ``(1)'' after ``(g)'';
       (4) by striking ``Practitioners who dispense'' and 
     inserting ``Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
     practitioners who dispense''; and
       (5) by adding at the end the following paragraph:
       ``(2)(A) Subject to subparagraphs (D) and (J), the 
     requirements of paragraph (1) are waived in the case of the 
     dispensing (including the prescribing), by a practitioner who 
     is a qualifying physician as defined in subparagraph (G), of 
     narcotic drugs in schedule III, IV, or V or combinations of 
     such drugs if the practitioner meets the conditions specified 
     in subparagraph (B) and the narcotic drugs or combinations of 
     such drugs meet the conditions specified in subparagraph (C).
       ``(B) For purposes of subparagraph (A), the conditions 
     specified in this subparagraph with respect to a physician 
     are that, before the initial dispensing of narcotic drugs in 
     schedule III, IV, or V or combinations of such drugs to 
     patients for maintenance or detoxification treatment, the 
     physician submit to the Secretary a notification of the 
     intent of the physician to begin dispensing the drugs or 
     combinations for such purpose, and that the notification 
     contain the following certifications by the physician:
       ``(i) The physician is a qualifying physician as defined in 
     subparagraph (G).

[[Page 15144]]

       ``(ii) With respect to patients to whom the physician will 
     provide such drugs or combinations of drugs, the physician 
     has the capacity to refer the patients for appropriate 
     counseling and other appropriate ancillary services.
       ``(iii) In any case in which the physician is not in a 
     group practice, the total number of such patients of the 
     physician at any one time will not exceed the applicable 
     number. For purposes of this clause, the applicable number is 
     30, except that the Secretary may by regulation change such 
     total number.
       ``(iv) In any case in which the physician is in a group 
     practice, the total number of such patients of the group 
     practice at any one time will not exceed the applicable 
     number. For purposes of this clause, the applicable number is 
     30, except that the Secretary may by regulation change such 
     total number, and the Secretary for such purposes may by 
     regulation establish different categories on the basis of the 
     number of physicians in a group practice and establish for 
     the various categories different numerical limitations on the 
     number of such patients that the group practice may have.
       ``(C) For purposes of subparagraph (A), the conditions 
     specified in this subparagraph with respect to narcotic drugs 
     in schedule III, IV, or V or combinations of such drugs are 
     as follows:
       ``(i) The drugs or combinations of drugs have, under the 
     Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or section 351 of the 
     Public Health Service Act, been approved for use in 
     maintenance or detoxification treatment.
       ``(ii) The drugs or combinations of drugs have not been the 
     subject of an adverse determination. For purposes of this 
     clause, an adverse determination is a determination published 
     in the Federal Register and made by the Secretary, after 
     consultation with the Attorney General, that the use of the 
     drugs or combinations of drugs for maintenance or 
     detoxification treatment requires additional standards 
     respecting the qualifications of physicians to provide such 
     treatment, or requires standards respecting the quantities of 
     the drugs that may be provided for unsupervised use.
       ``(D)(i) A waiver under subparagraph (A) with respect to a 
     physician is not in effect unless (in addition to conditions 
     under subparagraphs (B) and (C)) the following conditions are 
     met:
       ``(I) The notification under subparagraph (B) is in writing 
     and states the name of the physician.
       ``(II) The notification identifies the registration issued 
     for the physician pursuant to subsection (f).
       ``(III) If the physician is a member of a group practice, 
     the notification states the names of the other physicians in 
     the practice and identifies the registrations issued for the 
     other physicians pursuant to subsection (f).
       ``(ii) The Secretary shall provide to the Attorney General 
     all information contained in such notifications.
       ``(iii) Upon receiving information regarding a physician 
     under clause (ii), the Attorney General shall assign the 
     physician involved an identification number under this 
     paragraph for inclusion with the registration issued for the 
     physician pursuant to subsection (f). The identification 
     number so assigned clause shall be appropriate to preserve 
     the confidentiality of patients for whom the physician 
     dispenses narcotic drugs under a waiver under subparagraph 
     (A).
       ``(E)(i) If a physician is not registered under paragraph 
     (1) and, in violation of the conditions specified in 
     subparagraphs (B) through (D), dispenses narcotic drugs in 
     schedule III, IV, or V or combinations of such drugs for 
     maintenance treatment or detoxification treatment, the 
     Attorney General may, for purposes of section 304(a)(4), 
     consider the physician to have committed an act that renders 
     the registration of the physician pursuant to subsection (f) 
     to be inconsistent with the public interest.
       ``(ii)(I) A physician who in good faith submits a 
     notification under subparagraph (B) and reasonably believes 
     that the conditions specified in subparagraphs (B) through 
     (D) have been met shall, in dispensing narcotic drugs in 
     schedule III, IV, or V or combinations of such drugs for 
     maintenance treatment or detoxification treatment, be 
     considered to have a waiver under subparagraph (A) until 
     notified otherwise by the Secretary.
       ``(II) For purposes of subclause (I), the publication in 
     the Federal Register of an adverse determination by the 
     Secretary pursuant to subparagraph (C)(ii) shall (with 
     respect to the narcotic drug or combination involved) be 
     considered to be a notification provided by the Secretary to 
     physicians, effective upon the expiration of the 30-day 
     period beginning on the date on which the adverse 
     determination is so published.
       ``(F)(i) With respect to the dispensing of narcotic drugs 
     in schedule III, IV, or V or combinations of such drugs to 
     patients for maintenance or detoxification treatment, a 
     physician may, in his or her discretion, dispense such drugs 
     or combinations for such treatment under a registration under 
     paragraph (1) or a waiver under subparagraph (A) (subject to 
     meeting the applicable conditions).
       ``(ii) This paragraph may not be construed as having any 
     legal effect on the conditions for obtaining a registration 
     under paragraph (1), including with respect to the number of 
     patients who may be served under such a registration.
       ``(G) For purposes of this paragraph:
       ``(i) The term `group practice' has the meaning given such 
     term in section 1877(h)(4) of the Social Security Act.
       ``(ii) The term `qualifying physician' means a physician 
     who is licensed under State law and who meets one or more of 
     the following conditions:
       ``(I) The physician holds a subspecialty board 
     certification in addiction psychiatry from the American Board 
     of Medical Specialties.
       ``(II) The physician holds an addiction certification from 
     the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
       ``(III) The physician holds a subspecialty board 
     certification in addiction medicine from the American 
     Osteopathic Association.
       ``(IV) The physician has, with respect to the treatment and 
     management of opiate-dependent patients, completed not less 
     than eight hours of training (through classroom situations, 
     seminars at professional society meetings, electronic 
     communications, or otherwise) that is provided by the 
     American Society of Addiction Medicine, the American Academy 
     of Addiction Psychiatry, the American Medical Association, 
     the American Osteopathic Association, the American 
     Psychiatric Association, or any other organization that the 
     Secretary determines is appropriate for purposes of this 
     subclause.
       ``(V) The physician has participated as an investigator in 
     one or more clinical trials leading to the approval of a 
     narcotic drug in schedule III, IV, or V for maintenance or 
     detoxification treatment, as demonstrated by a statement 
     submitted to the Secretary by the sponsor of such approved 
     drug.
       ``(VI) The physician has such other training or experience 
     as the State medical licensing board (of the State in which 
     the physician will provide maintenance or detoxification 
     treatment) considers to demonstrate the ability of the 
     physician to treat and manage opiate-dependent patients.
       ``(VII) The physician has such other training or experience 
     as the Secretary considers to demonstrate the ability of the 
     physician to treat and manage opiate-dependent patients. Any 
     criteria of the Secretary under this subclause shall be 
     established by regulation. Any such criteria are effective 
     only for three years after the date on which the criteria are 
     promulgated, but may be extended for such additional discrete 
     3-year periods as the Secretary considers appropriate for 
     purposes of this subclause. Such an extension of criteria may 
     only be effectuated through a statement published in the 
     Federal Register by the Secretary during the 30-day period 
     preceding the end of the 3-year period involved.
       ``(H)(i) In consultation with the Administrator of the Drug 
     Enforcement Administration, the Administrator of the 
     Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 
     the Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, the 
     Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the 
     Commissioner of Food and Drugs, the Secretary may issue 
     regulations (through notice and comment rulemaking) or issue 
     practice guidelines to address the following:
       ``(I) Approval of additional credentialing bodies and the 
     responsibilities of additional credentialing bodies.
       ``(II) Additional exemptions from the requirements of this 
     paragraph and any regulations under this paragraph.

     Nothing in such regulations or practice guidelines may 
     authorize any Federal official or employee to exercise 
     supervision or control over the practice of medicine or the 
     manner in which medical services are provided.
       ``(ii) Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
     enactment of the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000, the 
     Secretary shall issue a treatment improvement protocol 
     containing best practice guidelines for the treatment and 
     maintenance of opiate-dependent patients. The Secretary shall 
     develop the protocol in consultation with the Director of the 
     National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Director of the Center 
     for Substance Abuse Treatment, the Administrator of the Drug 
     Enforcement Administration, the Commissioner of Food and 
     Drugs, the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental 
     Health Services Administration, and other substance abuse 
     disorder professionals. The protocol shall be guided by 
     science.
       ``(I) During the 3-year period beginning on the date of the 
     enactment of the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000, a 
     State may not preclude a qualifying physician from dispensing 
     or prescribing drugs in schedule III, IV, or V, or 
     combinations of such drugs, to patients for maintenance of 
     detoxification treatment in accordance with this paragraph 
     unless, before the expiration of that 3-year period, the 
     State enacts a law prohibiting a physician from dispensing 
     such drugs or combinations of drug.
       ``(J)(i) This paragraph takes effect on the date of the 
     enactment of the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000, and 
     remains in effect thereafter except as provided in clause 
     (iii) (relating to a decision by the Secretary or the 
     Attorney General that this paragraph should not remain in 
     effect).
       ``(ii) For purposes relating to clause (iii), the Secretary 
     and the Attorney General

[[Page 15145]]

     may, during the 3-year period beginning on the date of the 
     enactment of the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000, make 
     determinations in accordance with the following:
       ``(I) The Secretary may make a determination of whether 
     treatments provided under waivers under subparagraph (A) have 
     been effective forms of maintenance treatment and 
     detoxification treatment in clinical settings; may make a 
     determination of whether such waivers have significantly 
     increased (relative to the beginning of such period) the 
     availability of maintenance treatment and detoxification 
     treatment; and may make a determination of whether such 
     waivers have adverse consequences for the public health.
       ``(II) The Attorney General may make a determination of the 
     extent to which there have been violations of the numerical 
     limitations established under subparagraph (B) for the number 
     of individuals to whom a qualifying physician may provide 
     treatment; may make a determination of whether waivers under 
     subparagraph (A) have increased (relative to the beginning of 
     such period) the extent to which narcotic drugs in schedule 
     III, IV, or V or combinations of such drugs are being 
     dispensed or possessed in violation of this Act; and may make 
     a determination of whether such waivers have adverse 
     consequences for the public health.
       ``(iii) If, before the expiration of the period specified 
     in clause (ii), the Secretary or the Attorney General 
     publishes in the Federal Register a decision, made on the 
     basis of determinations under such clause, that this 
     paragraph should not remain in effect, this paragraph ceases 
     to be in effect 60 days after the date on which the decision 
     is so published. The Secretary shall in making any such 
     decision consult with the Attorney General, and shall in 
     publishing the decision in the Federal Register include any 
     comments received from the Attorney General for inclusion in 
     the publication. The Attorney General shall in making any 
     such decision consult with the Secretary, and shall in 
     publishing the decision in the Federal Register include any 
     comments received from the Secretary for inclusion in the 
     publication.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 304 of the Controlled 
     Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 824) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a), in the matter after and below 
     paragraph (5), by striking ``section 303(g)'' each place such 
     term appears and inserting ``section 303(g)(1)''; and
       (2) in subsection (d), by striking ``section 303(g)'' and 
     inserting ``section 303(g)(1)''.

     SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS REGARDING 
                   DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.

       For the purpose of assisting the Secretary of Health and 
     Human Services with the additional duties established for the 
     Secretary pursuant to the amendments made by section 2, there 
     are authorized to be appropriated, in addition to other 
     authorizations of appropriations that are available for such 
     purpose, such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2000 
     and each subsequent fiscal year.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Bliley) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley).


                             General Leave

  Mr. BLILEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on this legislation and to insert extraneous material on the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BLILEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2634, the Drug Addiction 
Treatment Act, a bill I introduced with my colleague from Texas, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green).
  I also would like to acknowledge the other early cosponsors of this 
bill: the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Oxley), the gentleman from Virginia 
(Mr. Boucher), the gentleman from California (Mr. Cox), the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood), the gentleman from North Carolina 
(Mr. Coble), the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood), the gentleman 
from Georgia (Mr. Deal), the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), and 
the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton). Their assistance in opening up 
a new front in the war on drugs will be greatly appreciated by the many 
American families who have been scourged by drug abuse.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a bill that helps those who can least help 
themselves. Let me relate some of the testimony Mr. Odis Rivers of 
Detroit, Michigan, shared with the Subcommittee on Health and the 
Environment of the Committee on Commerce last year. He has been 
addicted to heroin for 30 years and is undergoing treatment with a drug 
that this bill would help more physicians prescribe to their patients.
  He told the subcommittee that he was back with his wife and family 
and was enjoying the support of his family. He had won their respect 
and could again assume his rightful place in their family. As the 
Detroit Free Press stated on October 3 of last year, this seems like 
the kind of legislation that should be passed, especially in light of 
the new University of Michigan research showing that heroin use among 
teens doubled from 1991 to 1998.
  Narcotics traffickers in Colombia, one of the main heroin producing 
countries for the United States, have been able to broaden their 
consumer base by offering increasingly pure forms of the drug at lower 
cost, which has broadened the reach of this drug. Heroin-related 
emergency room visits have more than quadrupled within the past decade 
among Americans age 12 to 17. Although the House recently approved $1.3 
billion to assist Colombia in drug interdiction, we still have to be 
concerned about what to do once drugs get through our borders.
  This legislation will not solve the drug addiction problem. It does 
not address the multiplicity of societal concerns that have led to 
addiction. It does not solve all the problems that keep individuals and 
families enslaved and encumbered by addiction, but it makes a start.
  I ask my colleagues to help someone in their community break from 
heroin. Join me in voting for H.R. 2634.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to also take this opportunity to thank the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), the chairman of the Committee on 
the Judiciary, for his assistance in bringing this legislation to the 
floor. I am including in the Record an exchange of correspondence 
between our two committees regarding H.R. 2634.

                                         House of Representatives,


                                   Committee on the Judiciary,

                                 Washington, DC, October 25, 1999.
     Hon. Tom Bliley,
     Chairman, House Commerce Committee,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Bliley: I am writing to you concerning the 
     bill H.R. 2634, the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 1999.
       As you know, this bill contains language which falls within 
     the Rule X jurisdiction of this committee relating to the 
     Controlled Substances Act. I understand that you would like 
     to proceed expeditiously to the floor on this matter. I am 
     willing to waive our committee's right to mark up this bill. 
     However, this, of course, does not waive our jurisdiction 
     over the subject matter on this or similar legislation, or 
     our desire to be conferees on this bill should it be subject 
     to a House-Senate conference committee.
       I would appreciate your placing this exchange of letters in 
     the Congressional Record. Thank you for your cooperation on 
     this matter.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Henry J. Hyde,
                                                         Chairman.
                                  ____
                                  
                                         House of Representatives,


                                        Committee on Commerce,

                                 Washington, DC, October 21, 1999.
     Hon. Henry Hyde,
     Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Henry: Thank you for your letter regarding your 
     Committee's jurisdictional interest in H.R. 2634, the Drug 
     Addiction Treatment Act of 1999.
       I acknowledge your committee's jurisdiction over this 
     legislation and appreciate your cooperation in moving the 
     bill to the House floor expeditiously. I agree that your 
     decision to forego further action on the bill will not 
     prejudice the Judiciary Committee with respect to its 
     jurisdictional prerogatives on this or similar legislation, 
     and will support your request for conferees on those 
     provisions within the Committee on the Judiciary's 
     jurisdiction should they be the subject of a House-Senate 
     conference. I will also include a copy of your letter and 
     this response in the Committee's report on the bill and the 
     Congressional Record when the legislation is considered by 
     the House.
       Thank you again for your cooperation.
           Sincerely,
                                                       Tom Bliley,
                                                         Chairman.

  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume, and I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia for turning 
his attention to the issue of addiction and

[[Page 15146]]

for providing this body an opportunity to focus on it. Addiction is the 
number one killer in the United States.
  As it happens, the substance that lends addiction that distinction is 
not heroin but tobacco. Tobacco is responsible for 400,000 deaths a 
year. Regardless of the substance, though, the message is the same: 
addiction can kill. The Nation is well served by efforts to combat 
addiction to killer substances like heroin and tobacco.
  I appreciate the gentleman's interest in the heroin treatment 
initiative contained in this bill. I fully support the spirit of the 
bill as captured in its title. To win the war against drugs, however, 
we need to pay as much attention to the demand side of the equation as 
we do to the supply side. Fighting drugs means fighting drug producers 
and drug dealers. It also means preventing addiction, and it means 
treating addiction. In the context of this bill, that means expanding 
treatment options for heroin addiction.

                              {time}  1045

  Last week, 600,000 Americans used heroin. Last year, 80,000 people 
were admitted to hospital emergency rooms around the country because of 
heroin.
  There is wide agreement among researchers that heroin is the most 
underreported of all controlled substances in terms of usage. Some 
researchers believe as many as three million Americans are heroin 
abusers. And increasingly, those users are younger and younger.
  In 1980, a street bag of heroin was 4 percent pure. Today the average 
street bag ranges from 40 to 70 percent purity. The drug is stronger. 
It can be introduced in the body in more ways and still produce a high.
  Teenagers who would normally shy away from injecting heroin perceive 
snorting and inhaling as a safe means of using heroin. They do not 
think it can kill them. They do not even think it can make an addict of 
them. They are wrong. Those misconceptions are beginning to show up in 
the statistics.
  Substance abuse counselors are reporting it has been years since they 
have seen so many cases of heroin addiction among teenagers and young 
adults.
  Buprenorphine can be part of the solution, but there is more to it 
than that. If we want to fight heroin addiction, if we want to fight 
drug addiction, we need to reauthorize the Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Agency, or SAMHSA.
  SAMHSA has one of the most difficult jobs of any Federal agency, to 
reduce the demand for illicit drugs and in that way to save lives.
  I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of legislation to 
reauthorize SAMHSA, H.R. 4867, introduced by my colleague the 
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps).
  Mr. Speaker, by reauthorizing SAMHSA this year, we can secure the 
foundation upon which the success of H.R. 2634 and other legislation 
devoted to the treatment of drug addiction depends. It is fortunate, 
then, that the author of H.R. 2634, my respected colleague the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) is in a position to influence 
whether this body takes action on the bill that the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Capps) has introduced.
  The bill of the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) is a modest and 
a good step. CBO estimates that it may help 10,000 low-income addicts 
receive treatment. Unfortunately, the need for heroin treatment 
surpasses that figure 30 fold.
  The gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) I hope will fulfill the 
promise of H.R. 2634 by working to ensure committee consideration and 
passage of the SAMHSA reauthorization bill offered by the gentlewoman 
from California (Mrs. Capps) on a timely basis before we go home.
  With all due respect and gratitude to my friend from Virginia, the 
real drug addiction treatment act is the SAMHSA reauthorization.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2634, the 
Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 1999.
  H.R. 2634 is designed to amend specific sections of the Controlled 
Substances Act for practitioners who dispense narcotic drugs as part of 
a treatment program. In doing this, it seeks to assist qualified 
physicians in treating their addicted patients, to speed up approval of 
narcotic drugs for addiction treatment purposes, and offers treatment 
options for those Americans for whom other treatment programs are 
financially out of reach.
  This legislation waives the current regulation that physicians obtain 
the prior approval of the Drug Enforcement Administration, to receive 
the endorsement of State and regulatory authorities, and dispense only 
drugs that have been pre-approved by the Food and Drug Administration. 
This waiver process only applies to those registered physicians who are 
qualified to dispense controlled substances to treat opiate-dependent 
patients.
  The bill contains a number of safeguards that are designed to prevent 
abuses of the waiver procedure. The Secretary of Health and Human 
Services may deny access to the waiver process for any drug the 
Secretary determines may require more stringent physician qualification 
standards or more narrowly defined restrictions on the quantities of 
drugs that may be dispensed for unsupervised use. Physicians also face 
losing their registration status or even criminal prosecution for 
violations of the waiver process. Finally, after 3 years, the Attorney 
General and the Secretary may end availability of the waiver if they 
determine the process has had adverse public health consequences or to 
the extent it has led to violations of the Controlled Substances Act.
  Mr. Speaker, drug treatment programs form an important component of 
our national war on drugs. In order for this war to be effective, both 
demand and supply must be reduced simultaneously. Treatment programs 
can be an effective method of reducing demand, but require enormous 
commitment on the part of both doctor and patient. This is especially 
true for those addicted to opiate narcotics.
  This legislation will make it easier for doctors to treat those 
difficult addiction cases, without permitting gross abuses of the 
waiver system. The end goal is more successful treatment programs, with 
shorter durations and lower recidivism rates.
  It is important that we utilize all available tools in the war 
against drugs. For this reason, I urge my colleagues to lend their 
support to H.R. 2634.
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2634, the Drug 
Addiction Treatment Act. I want to acknowledge the leadership and 
effort on this issue that has been put forth by my good friend and 
colleague from the other body, Senator Carl Levin. His longstanding 
interest and acknowledged expertise in the development of effective 
treatments for drug addiction have been important influences in my 
deliberations on this matter. I thank him.
  Indeed, the language before us contains a number of changes to the 
bill reported out of the Commerce Committee. These changes reflect 
provisions adopted and passed by the Senate and represent improvements 
in the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, none of us should leave here thinking that we have done 
as much as we should to tackle the scourge of drug addiction in this 
country. Statistics on heroin addiction alone show that interdiction is 
not completely effective. The advent of narcotic treatments such as 
buprenorphine are important tools in the panoply of strategies to meet 
and defeat the drug addiction problem. The bill before us is a modest 
measure and I challenge us to do more, much more, before we adjourn 
this session.
  Mr. Speaker, my colleague and good friend, Representative Capps has 
introduced legislation to reauthorize programs administered by the 
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). I 
urge swift action on this bill. SAMHSA provides the crucial safety net 
of programs for those who lack the means to obtain treatment elsewhere. 
Importantly, SAMHSA's programs address virtually all addiction issues 
and are not limited to the heroin alone. SAMHSA also provides important 
prevention programs, unlike the bill before us today. SAMHSA's programs 
also address co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders.
  Finally, SAMHSA provides the resources necessary for many of those 
who are in the ``treatment gap'' to obtain needed services. Today we 
will hear about stigmas and red tape. In my view, the most significant 
factor in the treatment gap is lack of adequate resources for those who 
need treatment. The promise of buprenorphine will be lost on low income 
persons unless we provide access to treatment for them. The bill before 
us does not address this important issue, however, Representative 
Capps' bill does, so I hope we will move as expeditiously on that 
legislation as we are on this legislation. Chairman Bliley and Chairman 
Bilirakis both promised action on SAMHSA during the hearing and markup 
of H.R. 2436. Today I remind them of that promise and express my hope 
that they will take up

[[Page 15147]]

Representative Capps' bill as soon as possible.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2634, and I 
commend Chairman Bliley for introducing it and shepherding it to the 
floor of the House today.
  As a family physician, living and working in a district that is 
medically underserved, I often had to provide coverage to the Methadone 
Program in our Department of Health. I saw first hand how the use of 
such drugs could provide an option for treatment which would allow 
persons suffering from heroin addiction to reconcile with their 
families, return to work and live productive lives once again.
  I also saw how under some circumstances, the need to travel distances 
on a daily basis to be medicated was in direct conflict with 
requirements in the workplace, and how it hampered the full reentry of 
some patients into society.
  Drug addiction plagues many in our communities. It destroys 
individuals, families and undermines those communities. IV drug use, 
often associated with heroin use, also transmits the HIV virus and thus 
contributes to the scourge of AIDS.
  Today, addicted persons seeking treatment are often turned away. This 
bill will enable more people to receive treatment, and it will save 
lives, heal families and support wholesome communities.
  I am pleased to support H.R. 2634, and I ask my colleagues to support 
its passage.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BLILEY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
urge adoption of the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Isakson). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2634, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. BLILEY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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