[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 1927-1928]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           EXECUTIVE SESSION

                                 ______
                                 

  NOMINATION OF MICHAEL P. BOTTICELLI TO BE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL DRUG 
                             CONTROL POLICY

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination, 
which the clerk will report.
  The bill clerk read the nomination of Michael P. Botticelli, of the 
District of Columbia, to be Director of National Drug Control Policy.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 30 
minutes of debate equally divided.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, Millions of American families are 
struggling with an unrelenting addiction to controlled substances. This 
is nothing new and that is the unfortunate part about it. But after 
decades of taking the wrong path toward treating drug abuse, it appears 
that we are finally in the midst of a fundamental shift in the way we 
are going to focus and approach this issue.
  For years we simply considered drug abuse as a crime, to be dealt 
with by police, prosecutors, and prisons. There is now, however, a near 
consensus that addiction must be viewed as a public health issue. This 
requires coordinated investments in prevention and treatment. Law 
enforcement agencies would rather not arrest the same offenders over 
and over without dealing with the underlying addiction. Treating that 
addiction--rather than just punishing the addict--is often the more 
effective, more humane, and less costly approach.
  There is perhaps no greater advocate for this shift in thinking than 
Michael Botticelli. Throughout his career in public health he has 
worked to bridge gaps between law enforcement, health care, and 
education providers. As acting director for the Office of National Drug 
Control Policy, ONDCP, he has made clear that we cannot ``incarcerate 
addiction out of people.'' While law enforcement will always play a 
vital role in protecting citizens from drug-related crime, Mr. 
Botticelli recognizes that addiction is a disease--one that can be 
successfully prevented and treated using the same evidence-based 
approach we use for other public health challenges.
  Mr. Botticelli's nomination was reported out of the Senate Judiciary 
Committee unanimously by voice vote last year and again last week. I am 
pleased that he continued to receive strong, bipartisan support from 
the full Senate here today. As director of ONDCP, Mr. Botticelli will 
help to coordinate drug-control activities across the Federal 
Government. This includes critical efforts such as administering 
funding for Drug-Free Communities grants and High Intensity Drug 
Trafficking Areas. It is no small task. Just last week, the President 
requested over $12 billion for demand reduction programs. This 
represents the largest commitment to treating and preventing drug 
addiction in our Nation's history, and it is badly needed.
  Much of the country is now confronting a rising challenge: addiction 
to heroin and powerful painkillers. My home State of Vermont has not 
been spared, and it has attracted much attention for its struggles with 
opioid abuse. In fact, the film ``The Hungry Heart'' provides a 
powerful portrayal of the damage this addiction has inflicted on 
Vermont families. I was honored to host a screening of this moving film 
with Michael Botticelli last May.
  However in many ways, Vermont is ahead of the Nation. We in Vermont 
long ago recognized the problem and began developing new approaches to 
address it. Dedicated Vermonters working in the traditional roles of 
prevention, treatment, and law enforcement came together around common 
goals and shared strategies. These community partnerships have produced 
innovative and successful programs such as the Rapid Intervention 
Community Court in Burlington, and Project VISION in Rutland. Last 
year, the Judiciary Committee held a hearing in Vermont on this issue. 
As a lifelong Vermonter, what hit me is how everybody came together for 
this hearing--Republicans, Democrats, Independents, law enforcement, 
defense counsels, clergy, teachers, medical professionals, parents and 
often those who have been abusers. We all realize there is no single 
answer, but we can do it better than we have for decades.
  First responders are saving the lives of addicts throughout the State 
by carrying naloxone. This will save their life instead of some who 
would die of an overdose. Evidence-based prevention and treatment 
services have been extended to all corners of Vermont, and barriers to 
recovery have been significantly reduced. That is the most important 
part.
  These are all strategies that the ONDCP promotes. Mr. Botticelli 
understands that success requires an increased commitment to early 
intervention and education, treatment, and smart criminal justice 
policies. While the scope of the challenge is immense, Mr. Botticelli 
has us going in the right direction. Having listened to him, having 
talked to him, I am really hopeful he will help get us ahead of 
addiction, and help end the misery it inflicts on individuals, 
families, and our communities. I urge my fellow Senators to vote for 
his immediate confirmation.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I wish to express my strong support 
for Michael Botticelli as nominee to be the Director of the Office of 
National Drug Control Policy.
  Mr. Botticelli has more than two decades of experience supporting 
those who have been affected by substance use and abuse.
  Prior to joining the Office of National Drug Control Policy in 2012, 
when he was confirmed as the Deputy Director, Mr. Botticelli served as 
the director of the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services at the 
Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
  While there, he expanded prevention, treatment, and recovery 
services, and worked to implement evidence-based programs, including a 
youth treatment system, early intervention and treatment programs, and 
overdose prevention programs.
  During Mr. Botticelli's tenure as director of the Bureau of Substance 
Abuse Services, he confronted the issues of heroin and prescription 
drug abuse head-on and worked to ensure that police officers in Quincy, 
MA were trained and equipped to resuscitate overdose victims using 
naloxone, an emergency opioid overdose reversal medication.
  Since October 2010, Quincy police officers have administered naloxone 
220 times, almost always resulting in successful overdose reversal. 
This program has been replicated in communities throughout the country.

[[Page 1928]]

  As chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, 
I had the opportunity to work closely with Mr. Botticelli during his 
time as Deputy Director and Acting Director of the Office of National 
Drug Control Policy.
  Most recently, Mr. Botticelli testified at a hearing I chaired to 
address America's addiction to prescription opioids and heroin, where 
he emphasized the need for increased prescriber education to reduce 
prescription drug abuse and expanded access to naloxone nationwide.
  In addition, Mr. Botticelli has committed to working with my office 
to address the import, manufacture, and distribution of dangerous 
synthetic drugs, which take far too many lives, far too early. At a 
previous hearing on the topic, he provided valuable insight into the 
threat that synthetic drugs pose and it is my hope that we can continue 
to work together as the Senate considers legislation to address this 
threat.
  Mr. Botticelli has also been very clear about the fact that marijuana 
remains illegal under the Federal Controlled Substances Act, and has 
done much to disavow the notion that marijuana is harmless.
  As a person in recovery himself, Mr. Botticelli brings a unique 
perspective to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. I believe 
this perspective will enable him to successfully implement a national 
drug control strategy that recognizes the need for both supply and 
demand reduction and appropriately incorporates an effective public 
health approach that is coupled with law enforcement efforts.
  I look forward to continuing to work with Mr. Botticelli as he leads 
the Office of National Drug Control Policy in implementing a whole of 
government approach to combatting illegal and illicit drug use.
  I believe Michael Botticelli will serve with distinction as the 
Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and I urge my 
colleagues to confirm his nomination.
  Mr. LEAHY. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Under the previous order, the question is, Will the Senate advise and 
consent to the nomination of Michael P. Botticelli, of the District of 
Columbia, to be Director of National Drug Control Policy?
  Mr. ENZI. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the 
Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Cochran), the Senator from North Dakota 
(Mr. Hoeven), the Senator from Arizona (Mr. McCain), the Senator from 
Kansas (Mr. Moran), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Roberts), the Senator 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. 
Vitter), and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Lankford). Are there any other Senators in 
the Chamber desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 92, nays 0, as follows:

                       [Rollcall Vote No. 54 Ex.]

                                YEAS--92

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Blunt
     Booker
     Boozman
     Boxer
     Brown
     Burr
     Cantwell
     Capito
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Cassidy
     Coats
     Collins
     Coons
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Cotton
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Daines
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Ernst
     Feinstein
     Fischer
     Flake
     Franken
     Gardner
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hatch
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Heller
     Hirono
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johnson
     Kaine
     King
     Kirk
     Klobuchar
     Lankford
     Leahy
     Lee
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCaskill
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Paul
     Perdue
     Peters
     Portman
     Reed
     Reid
     Risch
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Sanders
     Sasse
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Scott
     Sessions
     Shaheen
     Shelby
     Stabenow
     Sullivan
     Tester
     Thune
     Tillis
     Udall
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--8

     Cochran
     Hoeven
     McCain
     Moran
     Roberts
     Toomey
     Vitter
     Wicker
  The nomination was confirmed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motion to 
reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the 
President will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

                          ____________________