[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 1827-1828]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                COMPREHENSIVE ADDICTION AND RECOVERY ACT

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I now turn to the issue of opiate 
addiction.
  I thank my colleagues again on the Judiciary Committee for reporting 
on legislation today, on a bipartisan basis--in fact, there wasn't a 
single ``no'' vote. It was reported out on a voice vote. Everybody in 
committee agreed to it. That doesn't happen very often. The reason it 
happened this way is that the legislation before the committee called 
CARA--the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act--is legislation that 
has been thoughtfully crafted, with Republicans and Democrats alike, 
really for the past 3 years.
  We have had five conferences in Washington, DC, to put together the 
experts from all over the country. Sheldon Whitehouse and I have lead 
this effort but also with Senator Ayotte, Senator Klobuchar, and 
others. What we have said is that we want to come up with legislation 
that will make a difference in our States and around the country to 
deal with what is sadly a growing crisis of people who are abusing 
prescription drugs, heroin, and this addiction problem is leading to 
not just a lot more people becoming addicted but people actually 
overdosing and dying.
  In Ohio we lost over 2,400 fellow Ohioans last year to overdose 
deaths. It is now the No. 1 cause of death in America, accidental 
deaths in America. Now more people are dying from overdoses than they 
are from car accidents. So this is an issue that affects every single 
one of us. It has no ZIP Code. It is in our rural areas, it is in our 
suburban areas, and it is in the inner city. It is something that 
affects so many families.
  When I am back home talking about this, it is hard for me to find a 
group I am meeting with that doesn't bring this up. Most recently I was 
in Ohio this past week talking with women who had been trafficked. They 
also were women who were given drugs and became addicted, and that 
dependency led to the kind of sex trafficking that they were involved 
with and their sense of being coerced and being compelled because of 
this drug addiction issue. They are now trying to work through that 
issue, God bless them. They are back with their families. They are back 
getting their lives back on track, but as they told me, Rob, going 
through this issue of the addiction and the treatment and the recovery 
is hard work because the grip of addiction from opioids--meaning 
prescription drugs and heroin--is very difficult to address.
  That is why our legislation is so important, because it provides to 
State governments, to local governments, to nonprofits the tools they 
need to be able to have better treatment and better recovery programs, 
longer term recovery, but it also focuses on prevention and education 
to try to keep people out of the funnel of addiction. It also helps our 
law enforcement personnel. It gives them the ability to save lives 
through Narcan and naloxone, which is the drug that is a miracle drug 
to be applied when someone has an overdose. It is saving lives right 
and left in my State of Ohio and around the country.
  Finally, our legislation helps to get the prescription drugs off of 
the bathroom shelves, to ensure that these prescription drugs which 
have been overprescribed over the years--there are too many 
prescription drugs out there--aren't going to be taken by somebody, 
often young people who get them, it gets them involved in this 
addiction issue, and then often they turn to heroin as a less expensive 
and more accessible alternative. Our legislation does that, and it also 
provides for a monitoring program for the prescription drug 
prescribing, so we know who is getting prescribed what, including 
across State lines, which is why it is very important to have Federal 
legislation in this regard. Until we get at this issue of prescription 
drugs, it is very hard to stop what is a growing crisis in our 
communities.
  Can we turn the tide? Yes. I am absolutely convinced we can because I 
have seen the treatment programs that work. I have seen the prevention 
and education programs that work. I started my own anti-drug coalition 
in my hometown of Cincinnati, OH, about 22 years ago. Using proven 
techniques, we can make a difference and we have made a difference 
there. Unfortunately, most communities don't have that kind of a 
coalition, that kind of effort.
  Our legislation will help to provide that. In treatment, most 
Americans who are suffering from addiction do not have access to 
treatment. This will provide more needed resources, not just money but 
also being sure that the money is going to evidence-based treatment and 
recovery that works, that has been proven to work, so we are not just 
throwing money at a problem, but we are setting up a framework for 
success.
  The legislation is supported by many groups because it has been 
carefully crafted. It has been bipartisan or I would say nonpartisan. 
Over 120 groups have come in from around the country to support this 
legislation. Today I am happy to report that we have a new endorsement, 
and this one comes from the National Fraternal Order of Police. The FOP 
endorsed our legislation today, which is a tremendous boost to us.
  Law enforcement around the country has been supportive. The doctors 
have been supportive. The nurses, first responders, those in recovery 
themselves, and of course experts from around the country who are 
involved in providing treatment and providing the prevention that is 
science-based, evidence-based know that if they have more support from 
the Federal Government, they can do more. They can leverage that at the 
local level to make a difference in our communities.
  I am glad to hear that this legislation got reported out with such 
broad bipartisan support today and that everyone said this is good 
legislation and we need to move it forward because the next step is to 
get it to the floor of the Senate and to get it passed on the Senate 
floor and then get it over to the House where there is a companion 
bill. In other words, there are Democrats and Republicans working 
together in the House as well on this issue, understanding the urgency 
of addressing this crisis. They are ready go. If we send them the 
legislation, I believe that legislation can end up on the President's 
desk in short order, and we can begin to turn things around and change 
what is unfortunately a growing problem. It is a spreading problem. We 
can begin to reverse it, and through prevention and education keep 
people, particularly young people, from making bad choices and going 
down this route.
  I have gone across the State holding roundtables on this over the 
year, but in the last month alone, I have met in Columbus, OH, Marion, 
OH, and in Cleveland, OH, with people who are directly affected. In 
Cleveland I toured the Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital. This is 
one of the great children's hospitals in America. There they have lots 
of specialists, particularly an issue that sadly is one that is 
affecting more and more of our hospitals; that is, drug-dependent 
babies. These are babies who are drug-addicted when they are born 
because their mothers used.
  These are consequences of this addiction problem we talked about. 
They take these babies through withdrawal. These are babies, many of 
whom are born prematurely and can almost fit in the palm of your hand. 
These babies, God bless them, are getting the help they need to be able 
to withdraw from that addiction.
  We don't know what the longer term health consequences might be, but 
we do know that many of these babies are now starting their life in a 
much healthier situation because of this special expertise that is 
being provided, but these hospitals are telling me this is an 
increasing problem. Every hospital in America needs to have this 
expertise now to deal with a situation that is hard to imagine, a baby 
who is born drug-addicted.
  I also toured a community alternative sentencing center in Claremont,

[[Page 1828]]

OH, to see where a court is taking people who have been arrested for 
possession and instead of throwing them in jail is setting up an 
alternative program where they can get some of the treatment they need 
and get some of the life skills they need to get their life back on 
track. It is an intensive program that is working.
  These are programs that are also supported by our legislation. Our 
legislation also deals with people who are in prison who have addiction 
problems, to be able to get them treatment, so when they get out of 
prison they don't fall back into a life of crime to support their 
addiction problem.
  Most recently I was in Columbus, OH. I met with four women who were 
recovering addicts who had this addiction foisted upon them as part of 
human trafficking, sex trafficking. Their traffickers got them addicted 
to make them dependent. In one case, the woman told me she wasn't paid 
anything. She was just paid in terms of the drugs. Her trafficker kept 
her dependent because of that. These women were in a program where they 
had been given the opportunity to get into treatment, given the 
opportunity to be able to get their lives back together, but sadly a 
lot of people do not have that opportunity, not having access to 
treatment. Our legislation will be very important to do that.
  The bill targets the very issues we know have to be addressed--
keeping people away from these substances in the first place. Then, 
once they are addicted, if they become addicted, get them the treatment 
they need to begin to turn their lives around. For that longer term 
recovery, which we think is absolutely essential from the experience 
and the good science that is out there for successful programs, it is 
important that we have, in some cases, medication treatment as well 
that supports that.
  It also says that we have to help our law enforcement more. I think 
that is one reason the Fraternal Order of Police, the national 
sheriffs' organizations, and others have supported this legislation 
with such wonderful statements, as I just talked about earlier, as we 
got today from the FOP.
  This is an issue that will continue to be a serious problem in all of 
our communities unless we take these kinds of actions at the Federal 
level, the State level, and the local level. We have to work as a team 
with nonprofits, with people who are in the trenches dealing with this. 
If we do not, we will continue to see families torn apart. We will 
continue to see communities that are devastated, including by the 
crimes and other consequences of this, and we will continue to see 
Americans who are not able to fulfill their God-given abilities and 
destinies because of this drug addiction problem.
  Today I am told that others who support this legislation would like 
to spend more money in addition to the $80 million that this program 
provides every year going forward. This is a well-crafted, well-
thought-out framework of how to spend that money more effectively to be 
able to address the problem. I am for spending more money. If there are 
people who would like to spend more money on this issue of opiate 
addiction, I am for that. I think it is enough of a crisis that we 
should be fending more funds on it.
  I will say something else. Let's get this bill moving. Let's get this 
bill to the floor. Let's get this bill passed. Let's get the House to 
pass the companion legislation. Let's get it to the President's desk. 
This is an urgent problem. We cannot wait. If people are going to offer 
other ideas, including more funding and funding that is an emergency, 
rather than in a way that is paid for, that may make it more difficult 
to move this bill forward because some people in this Chamber will not 
support that.
  We now have a consensus on this bill. Let's not play politics with 
this bill and stop this bill. Let's move this bill forward. Right now 
we have on the floor of the Senate an energy bill. It includes energy 
efficiency provisions I have worked on for years. Yet it is being 
stopped by other issues, important issues. Around here we too often 
refuse to move forward on legislation where there is a consensus, where 
we know it is the right thing to do, because other issues come up, and 
sometimes it is other issues that are very important issues but ones 
that end up stopping the legislation and not allowing us to make 
progress for the people we represent.
  I do support more funding. I support funding in this legislation. 
Over and above that, I support additional funding. The President's 
budget has a request for additional funding. I talked about that today 
in a hearing we had. I told the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
I would support some of these programs that have additional funding. 
Let's be sure it is well-spent, as it is in this legislation. Let's be 
sure we are not throwing money at a problem. Let's make sure we are 
making a difference in the lives of the people we represent, and let's 
be sure it doesn't derail this effort to get this legislation passed.
  We are on a track now. It is bipartisan. It is bicameral. It has the 
President's general support. He hasn't specifically said he will 
endorse this bill, but his representatives--including the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services--today were very supportive of the direction 
we are moving.
  It was reported out of a committee today in a total bipartisan way. 
It was unanimous. Again, that doesn't happen often around here. Let's 
address this issue now. Let's not sit back and play politics. Let's 
take the politics out of this, as has been the case for the last few 
years.
  Sheldon Whitehouse has been my partner in this. Sheldon Whitehouse 
and I don't agree on a lot of issues. He is more liberal. I am more 
conservative on some issues. We agree on this issue because we know the 
way it affects the communities we represent, the families we represent, 
and the people we represent. Let's move forward or this legislation. 
Let's get it to the floor. Let's get a vote. Let's start turning the 
tide. Let's start changing the dynamic on the ground where instead of 
us having this creeping problem of addiction and all of its horrible 
consequences that we begin to allow people to get their lives back 
together, to give them the opportunity to get their families back 
together, to be able to achieve the dreams they have for themselves and 
their families.
  Mr. President, I yield back my time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I compliment the distinguished Senator from 
Ohio on his remarks here today. He is one of the pillars of this 
Senate. He is one of the finest men I have served with in the whole 
time I have been in the U.S. Senate. He is on top of everything. His 
experiences outside of the Senate have been magnificent. Everybody, I 
think, has a very high opinion of him. Those who might express 
otherwise, deep down do. They know what a fine man he is. He is 
absolutely right on this issue. We need to do many things about it.

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