[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10448]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      STOP OVERDOSE STAT (SOS) ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DONNA F. EDWARDS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 24, 2015

  Ms. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I reintroduced the Stop Overdose 
Stat (S.O.S.) Act, legislation that will curb the nation's growing 
opioid overdose rates.
  Joined by Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, our legislation will 
establish a grant program that funds efforts to educate and train the 
public, first responders, and caregivers of those at-risk of overdose 
on how to administer naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of 
heroin and opioid overdoses until proper medical care can be provided.
  We remain encouraged that this important legislation can be funded 
during the Fiscal Year 2016 appropriations cycle, a reflection of the 
Obama Administration's priority to expand naloxone access across our 
nation.
  Since I first introduced this bill in 2009, nearly 140,000 Americans 
have died from opioid related deaths, including more than 4,000 from my 
home state of Maryland.
  I thank Sen. Reed for leading this effort on the Senate side, 
committing to the idea that Washington lawmakers have a responsibility 
to fund proven programs that make a real difference in treating and 
preventing overdose, and ultimately saving lives.
  And while I understand that there is much work to be done in order to 
address substance abuse before it gets to the point of overdose, each 
year hundreds of Maryland families and tens of thousands of American 
families need immediate assistance.
  I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to cosponsor this 
important and much needed piece of legislation.

                          ____________________