i rise in h.r. 5294. introduced by subcommittee chairman barletta and subcommittee ranking member titus. the appalachian regional commission has made significant progress in addressing the persistent poverty and economic despair in appalachia. the epidemic sweeping the nation threatens our progress. the high rates of substance abuse and mortality in appalachia compared to the rest of the united states is a serious impediment to sustained economic growth. employers are seeking a healthy work force when making decisions about where they will locate their businesses. high rates of substance abuse and mortality make it difficult for employers to find and hire qualified candidates. appalachia continues to face significant disparity to catch up to the rest of the nation with respect to educational

attainment, employment, income and health outcome. sadly, the scourge of opioid abuse in appalachia makes the road that much longer. the opioid mortality and overdose rates in appalachia are shocking with rates in west virginia reaching three times the national rate. moreover drug abuse jeopardizes with gion's development high performing work force that is healthy and drug free. unfortunately, this tragic backdrop highlights the failed campaign promises of president trump. president trump campaigned about the scourge of opioids and how he would designate the opioid crisis as a national emergency and combat the problem. however, the president did not declare this epidemic and emergency under the stafford act and provided little to no new funding to combat this epidemic

conway withlly anne no public health background as the point person on the opioid crisis. . because trump administration refuses to take substantive action, congress must take the lead on this issue. the a.r.c. and mission to promote economic development in the region has always understood the grave threat of opioid addiction to the economic viability of the region. i'm grateful and thankful that this bill provides funding specifically focused on impediments to job creation and economic development. ensures the states in appalachia can effectively share best practices and attract health-based businesses, workers, and technology to the region. while the a.r.c.'s existing authority has provided them the ability to support certain efforts to combat the opioid crisis, clarifying and

strengthening that role is critical to economic development in the region. we're grateful that the committee on transportation and infrastructure has been able to step in and-n this area of economic development -- step in of economic development. but we must do more throughout the of economic development. but we must do more throughout the country, not just with opioid but other drug issues and relate aed scourge in this country. i applaud ranking member titus for taking the issue seriously and being an original co-sponsor of this bill. this bill will address some of the impacts of drug abuse on economic development in the appalachia region. i support this bill and urge my colleagues to support this measure. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. barletta: i wish to yield three minutes to the gentleman from kentucky, mr. rogers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. rogers: thank you, mr. chairman. all of us are painfully aware of the devastating toll taken by

and abuse in on every corner of this great country. while this epidemic is truly national in its scope today, it actually began in the small communities in appalachia over a decade ago. our hills were flooded with painkillers, our hospitals flooded with patients, our churches flooded with helpless parents crying out for help. our rural towns simply did not have the capacity to handle this monstrous problem. today, given the unique challenges confronting appalachia, the opioid related overdose rate is 65% higher than in the rest of the nation. let me repeat that. in appalachia, the opioid related overdose rate is 65% higher than the rest of the country. but the people of atch latcha --

appalachia are resilient and problem solvers. they have taken important strides to combat this problem holistically. operation unite in my district, where it began, is a leading national example. unite, unlawful narcotics, investigations, treatment, education. three-pronged holistic approach to tack this monster. i was really heartened and grateful when chairman barletta invited operation unite's c.e.o. to testify before his subcommittee about the unique challenges unite confronts in southern and eastern kentucky. and the creative solutions they have employed to beat back against this scourge. his i remain grateful for adership in shepherding h.r.

5294 to the house floor. this bill will bolster the appalachian regional commission's role in combating the opioid epidemic. a.r.c. has always been a valued partner in our fight, but this legislation 5294 to the house clarifies tha commission can and should make targeted investments to reduce barriers to work force development, attract and retain health care services, businesses, and workers, and develop relevant infrastructure, including broadband, which can be used for telemedicine treatment. these investments are critical from my district and the entire appalachian region. and i urge other members to support this bill. let me thank, again, chairman barletta for his great eadership in this problem.

he's a he's a recognized expert and he's proven he cares for the people that he represents and that the rest of us represent. you, mr. chairman. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back of the the gentlelady from virgin islands is recognized. ms. plaskett: mr. speaker, i yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields the balance of her time. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. barletta: i yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5294. so many as are in favor say aye those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid pon the table.

for what purpose does the gentlewoman from tennessee seek recognition. mrs. blackburn: mr. chairman, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5752, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5752, a bill to amend the federal food, drug, and cosmetic act with respect to the importation of certain drugs, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the the gentlewoman from tennessee, mrs. blackburn, and the gentleman from texas, mr. green, each will control 20 minutes. the air recognizes gentlewoman from tennessee. mrs. blackburn: thank you, mr. chairman. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material -- the gentlewoman from tennessee. extraneous material in the record on this bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

mrs. blackburn: mr. chairman, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. blackburn: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise in support of this important piece of legislation. this bill will get f.d.a. the tools the agency needs to inter september illicit substances coming through our country's international mail facilities. illicit and unapproved drugs entering the u.s. supply chain through these facilities pose serious public health threats. hundreds of millions of parcels go through the i.m.f. facilities each year, and it has been reported that the number of packages processed by the i.m.f.'s nearly doubled from 2013 to 2015. these facilities now receive more than i.m.f.'s nearly doubled 275 million packages annually. although the f.d.a. has increased the number of investigators, it has in the

facilities, it's estimated that the f.d.a. can only physically nspect less than .06% of the packages that might contain drugs or drug products. in conjunction with h.r. 5228, led by representative pallone and passed by the house yesterday, this bill will give the f.d.a. the flexibility and tools the agency needs to effectively and efficiently or unapproved drugs and to prohibit bad actors from continuing to ship these deadly products into the country. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and to help stop the entrance of illegal opioids and other drugs that might harm americans. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized.

mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. green: mr. speaker, members, i rise in support of h.r. 5752, the stop illicit drug importation act. 42,000 americans died from opioid related overdoses alone, including over 2,le00 victims of opioid addiction in my home state of texas. one of the contributing factors to the opioid epidemic is the illicit importation of opioid drugs. according to commissioner got leeb, f.d.a. investigators are the last line of defense at the international mail facilities when it comes to preventing illicit drugs from entering our country. despite the fact over two million packages are received each day in our international mail facilities, f.d.a. only has the capacity and resources to inspect 40,000 of these. more must be done to equip the f.d.a. with the law enforcement

perspective. this is why i also support the screen act which is passed yesterday would authorize additional resources for f.d.a. to take on this fight and grant the f.d.a. greater authority to destroy and recall drugs that pose harm to public health. the stop illicit drug importation act empowers the f.d.a. to reduce admission and destroy imports identified as items of concern by the f.d.a. and drug enforcement administration. the bill will also help streamline seizure proceed yours, debar individuals and companies that repeatedly violate federal law from being able to import into the united states. the commonsense measure passed by the energy andommerc committee by voice vote last month will help stem the tide of illegal and illicit products, including opioids, from entsurg our country from international mail facilities. i urge my colleagues to support me and support this legislation.

i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from tennessee is recognized. mrs. blackburn: i reserve the balance of my time. at this time, i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from oregon, the chairman of the energy and commerce committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. walden: thank you very much, mr. speaker. to my colleagues on the energy and commerce committee on both sides of the aisle, thanks for your great work on this bill . to my colleague, congressman blackburn from tennessee, this is an issue she has worked on i think for a long time. we'll just say a long time. with great passion, great diligence. we had the subcommittee chair of the health subcommittee, mr. burgess, dr. burgess, go up to the facility in new jersey recently and observe firsthand what happens, what transpires there. my colleague, mr. green and others, have talked about the number of packages that go through the facility versus the number actually inspected. i know we have all had pretty good conversation was dr. scott got leeb, the now administrator of the food and drug administration, and he has done

marvelous work with the limited tools that he has to really ramp up their ability to try and stop these shipments of illegal fentanyl. for those that are here in the chamber, you got to understand illegal fentanyl. if you took a saltshaker and put half a dozen grains of salt on and put your finger on it, likely go through your skin and you would pass out and die unless my colleague from texas and put your finger on or tennessee here or the house physician had some they could revive you. it's that potent, dangerous, and deadly. that's what's getting cut into heroin -- by wait you can always trust your local heroin dealer to get the right mixture. they're good chemists, i'm sure. no, not. that's what we're trying to stop with this legislation is this illegal fentanyl coming in through the mail system from foreign countries, mainly china. and stop it from get nag they c

it's that potent, our country. that's why -- from getting into our country. that's why i commend mrs. blackburn, mr. green, and everybody involved in this legislation. mr. speaker, i also take the floor because over the course of this week and next week, we will deal with more than 57 different opioid related bills. we have heard from republicans and democrats. this is a epidemic that doesn't check your party registration before it sickens or kills or addicts somebody in your family or community. throughout all this, we have had terrific support. not only from our members, but also from our staff an own both sides of the aisle, but there is today on o single out our side of the aisle, who, unfortunately, has decided to pursue other endeavors. paul has served as the chief counsel for health subcommittee since 2016. under then chairman fred upton. prior to that he served our health subcommittee on an abundance of health care issues, as well as being hired to be speaker boehner's top health policy staffer.

timing has kind of a funny way of getting in the way of things, and following speaker boehner's decision to leave the congress, were able to persuade paul to come back to the energy and commerce committee. when i became chairman of the committee, i remember meeting in speaker ryan's office when we were just getting started and i was choosing the final staff, and speaker ryan looked at me and said i don't care who else you keep or not keep, but that guy over there, the brightest guy around on health policy. i said i agree. we have already reached our agreement that he would continue on. his service has been our gain and the country's. paul's help led our push on the floor on these issues with his talented team. just as my colleagues and i have made this our top issue, so has paul. at the same time, he's ensured other critical health care policy priorities continue to move through our processes. he's one of the best. he's a machine. he's been guiding top issues

for many years, including our comprehensive review of america's mental health laws that we passed, i think, big bipartisan vote last congress, helped engineer through the 21st century cures act, our opioids act, and so many other pieces of legislation. paul is also a wonderful family man, a great individual with tremendous integrity and insight and we will miss his friendly smile and unmatched understanding how this place works. we will even miss his unwavering support for the buffalo bills. if you're a buffalo bills' fan. if you're not, you will be glad to see him go, probably. it's been an honor to work with paul and call him a trusted advisor and moreover a friend. paul, as you begin your new chapter in your new career, i join with those on both sides of the aisle in wishing you the very best. with that i yield back. mrs. blackburn: i reserve.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. green: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. i want to join our chairman in thanking our staff. we couldn't be here today without our staff working on these. but this bill is so important. i've been on the docks of the port of houston and watched these containers come in off the ships and being inspected and the f.d.a. agents there frustrated with it. even in our international mail facilities. it's in our district in texas. so that's why this bill is so important and i'm glad for my colleague from tennessee to be sponsoring this bill. we have no other speakers, mr. speaker. i'll yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. blackburn: thank you, mr. chairman. you have heard the mention of bipartisan work and bipartisan support on these issues. and chairman walden is exactly right. not only have members worked in a bipartisan way, but also our

staffs have to answer the question of how do we help to get the resources to our local and our state officials. how do we help to remove barriers so we can end this epidemic in our country? last year, 63,632 americans lost their lives to drug abuse and drug overdose. 1,600 of those were tennesseans. we can all tell you these stories. and i tell you, as a mom and as a friend, so many times when you talk to families and talk to people that have been so affected and so impacted by this, they talk about family members and co-workers and individuals that they are in contact with every single day. and how we need to work on this issue with opioids, with

fentanyl, with heroin, with cocaine. these illicit drugs that are flooding our streets as well as the pills. now, last october during a hearing when dr. gottlieb was before us and we were conducting oversight with the f.d.a., one of the things that he mentioned was there were some changes that they needed to see in federal law. the number one change they needed was permission to work some changes in federal statute for how they would work in these international mail facilities. as we said, it's hundreds of millions of packages. as congressman green said, they cannot get ahead of the work. so we have come together. the stop illicit drug importation act is something that will be helpful to getting

the job done and getting these drugs off the streets. indeed, they will never get to the streets. they will never get to the streets because there will be the ability to stop them and dispose of these before they ever get to the streets. i encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5752, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and creeper act 5, the of 2018. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4655, a bill to amend title 18, united states code, to prohibit the importation or transportation of child sex dolls, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte, and the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the

gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and to heir remarks include extraneous materials on h.r. 4655 currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. goodlatte: today we consider the curbing realistic exploitative electronic of 2017.c robots act it criminalizes the importation and transportation of child sex dolls. i have mixed feelings today about bringing this bill to the floor. i am happy this legislation is moving through and we are taking steps to address a problem that very much needs to be addressed. i'm distraught, however, that this problem even exists. i am saddened that there are people in this world who would create realistic child sex dolls and distraught there are

people in this world who would buy them. these dolls are being manufactured in china, in japan, and being shipped all over the world. consumers can order bespoke dolls, providing pictures of specific children they would like the doll to resemble. they can indicate a preferred facial expression such as sadness or fear. these dolls can be programmed to simulate rape. the very thought makes me nauseous. while a small group of people advocate the use of these dolls to curb pedophilia, there is absolutely no scientific literature supporting this view. to the contrary, these dolls have a real risk of desensitizing the user, causing him to engage in sicker and sicker behavior. they put our children in danger and we must not tolerate them. in april of this year, amazon

announced it was removing anatomically correct child sex dolls from its website. i call upon all internet-based retailers and media platforms to do the same. australia and the united kingdom have already taken steps to criminalize the importation of child sex dolls and are actively prosecuting these cases. there is no reason that the united states should not follow suit. i'd like to thank mr. donovan of new york for introducing this bill. thank you, mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from texas is recognized. ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, i'd like to consume such time as i might consume, i ask unanimous consent. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. jackson lee: sex toys with children is disgusting, and i believe it is something that one would want simply to say

d pass a bill to cease and decised but i'd like to talk about h.r. 4655, the curbing realistic exploitative electronic pedophilic robots act of 2017, also known as the creeper act of 2017. there is no doubt that we oppose what this bill is intended to do. the bill seeks to prohibit the importation and transportation of child sex dolls. there is no doubt that child sexual exploitation is a serious grave problem in our country. it's growing an -- it's a growing problem. the creation of these dolls, besides being an exploitation of our most precious resource, is just to make money. and that is absolutely both disgraceful and absurd. combating sexual exploitation requires aggressive action by the congress of the united

states. we must remain always vigilant to stamp out new methods and technologies developed and used by child predators to harm our children. just yesterday, the department of justice announced that in a coordinated effort standing all 50 states during march, april, may of this year, 2,300 suspected child sex offenders were arrested. in my hometown of houston, in 2016, 126 people were arrested as online predators as part of a coordinated effort to tackle the problem of child exploitation. and last year, 13 were arrested. we must protect our children everywhere from any and all bad actors who want to do them harm. i am concerned, however, that the majority has not given us sufficient time to properly consider this bill, its basis making the correlation of possession of on scene dolls and child pornography and the relation to child abuse.

these are great intentions. we could have meat it greater. we did not know if the reporting statute for sex offenders or to identify any other problems and perhaps an opportunity to offer ways to improve this bill to ensure we are in fact protecting all of our children. i look forward, however, to hearing further in the discussion of this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, at this time it's my pleasure to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from new york, mr. donovan, the chief sponsor of this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. donovan: thank you, mr. speaker. and thank you, mr. chairman. before i came to congress i was an elected district attorney for 12 years in staten island, new york. prior to that i spent eight years in the manhattan d.a.'s office as a prosecutor. very few things disturb me after all those years of prosecuting cases and then i became -- came to my attention

about sex dolls being shipped from foreign lands to the united states for only one person, to be used as sex objects that simulate a young child. as the chairman spoke earlier, these dolls can be formed, they can be created, they can be designed to appear in any shape or form that the abuser wants them to be. they have realistic eyelashes, realistic hair, warming devices, cleaning apparatuses. they are totally, as my good friend from texas said, disgusting. they appear to be life-like replicas of young children. a fully customized doll can cost up to $10,000. but the dolls that the chairman was referring to on amazon were as low as $409 with free

shipping. that's less than the cost of an iphone. the good news, as the chairman said, amazon no longer sells these products. the bad news, the dolls are still available for sale on other websites. . the dolls when they are shipped are purposely labeled as mannequins to disguise what their true purpose is. and science has shown that dolls normalize ped feelial behavior rather than disturge pedophiles from acting out on their urges or aggression. the bill is sponsored by the stop abuse campaign. stop child predators. foundation for responsible robotics, and over 166,000 signatures have been on -- written on a petition by change.org. this demonstrates that this bill is something that the american people want. in the first year of its ban,

the united kingdom found that 85% of the men who possess these dolls also possessed child pornography. we're trying to get ahead of this problem, we're trying to protect children. i believe this legislation will protect countless children from pedophiles throughout our nation. the chairman for his support. i thank my colleague from texas. i urge all of my colleagues in the house to the chairman for h support. i thank my colleague pass h.r. e creeper act. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from texas is recognized. ms. jackson lee: does the gentleman from virginia have any additional speakers? mr. goodlatte: i do not except to close. ms. jackson lee: thank you. i will close, mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to consume such time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. jackson lee: i want to thank the gentleman for his

explanation of the creeper bill. as i stated it is disgusting, more importantly it harms our children. what we want to do in this congress is to ensure that not only do we register our concern for the fairness of the criminal justice system, the criminal code, but that we provide the greatest protection we can ever provide for our children. see the idea of sex toys and the islization of child sex toys what i want to be clear and the importation and transportation is a dastardly act. i hope as this bill makes its way through the congress, that we'll be assured that it frames itself to go after those who are the most vial and vicious as it relates to the child sex toys. in keeping with with the confines and the parameters of a just criminal code.

might i also just say that i just feel compelled, as the gentleman i know has worked on many issues, to remind this house that we have a crisis at the border and it is very important as we relate to children and children being taken away from families, mothers, that we also turn our to protecting those children. th that point, i want to to pe indicate my support for effective measures to protect our children. i thank the gentleman for his leadership. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the time.e of her time.ntleman from virginia

the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, this truly is as the gentlewoman from texas says, a disgusting topic but one i think is very necessary to protect our disgus but one i think is very necessary to protect our children, protect our society. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation. i again thank the gentleman from new york for offering it. his experience as a prosecutor and his testimony to how horrific he finds it even as a veteran prosecutor should tell all the members all they need to know about how important it is to pass this bill and start doing what the united kingdom and australiaa are already doing -- australia are already doing, that is getting after the people who would import this trash into the united states. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4655. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid pon the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker,

morph to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 6029, the regroup act of 2018. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 6029, a bill to amend the omnibus crime control and act of 1968 to re-authorize the comme opioid abuse grant for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte, and the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee, minutes. control 20 for other . the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on h.r. 6029, currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, in july, minutes. 2016, congress enacted the

comprehensive addiction and recovery act, otherwise known as cara. the th were shocking d unfortunaty they have not yet sside in 2016, more than 64,000 ricans died from drug then wer shocki a unfortunately they have not yet subsided. in 2016, more an 64,000 americandiedrom ug overdoses,

overdoses are the leading cau of accidental death with them involved in overdo deaths.

although effective for the treatment of pain, prescription opioids are highly addictive and nearlyalf of all u.s. opioid overdose deathsnvol a prescription opid. they were told and instrict that a tient should not have to suffer pain. it had good intentions, but through that process of medical treatment became a population of extended addicted peons who began to use the prescription drug as a drug of use and recreation andhen those who were given it in the medical sense who we ab to get itver and over again on the basis of paibecame addicted. overall the number of drug overdose deaths has nearly quadpled, as iaid, a this has been thought of as an

effective treatment of pain, prescription opioids were highly addictivand nearly half of a u.s. opioid overdose involved a death. deaths related to heroin have increased as individuals often transition for more expensive prescription opioids to hero which has had a se in its se.

program were extending -- through the programe are extending today will hopefully make it easier for other cities to afford to implement diversn programs such as lead. her purposes of whh these grants may be used include providing training and resources for first responders to administer opioid overdose, reversal drugs, expanding medication, assisted treatment programs orated by criminal justice agecies, implementing prescription drug monitoring programs implementing prescription drug takeback programs in addition to investigating the distribution of opioids. this funding will be an added contribution to these very vital programs, and i hope that we will be in the business every day of saving lives and turning around those addicted persons who not only are

hurting themselves but they're hurting their families. i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, at this time it's my pleasure to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. rothfus, who i failed to note in my opening remarks, is the chief sponsor of this legislation, and someone very dedicated to addressing problems with opioid abuse. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rothfus: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. speaker, i rise in support of this legislation, h.r. 6029. the re-authorization and extending grants recovery from opioid use programs act of 2018, or the regroup act. in simple terms, this bill will help our nation continue the fight against the opioid crisis. the regroup act does two things. first, it re-authorizes and extends the comprehensive opioid abuse program administered through the department of justice for an additional two years through 2023. second, it also raises authorized funding levels for

these programs from $103 million to $330 million for each fiscal year. mr. speaker, back in my district in western pennsylvania, the opioid crisis is still a huge problem that continues to destroy lives, hurt families, and plague entire communities. while we have made some progress, there is much more work to be done. therefore, we must not only continue to support the comprehensive opioid abuse program but enhance it with additional funding. originally authorized in the comprehensive addiction and recovery act of 2016, or cara, the comprehensive abuse program had grant resources to states and localities suffering from the epidemic. these competitive grant programs offer a wide variety of support from first responders to those suffering substance abuse. more specifically, the d.o.j. has developed various grant programs that provide expanded training for first responders fighting on the front lines, programs that support drug

courts and veteran free trade agreement courts and provides grants for incleesing collaboration between criminal justice agencies and substance abuse agencies. furthermore, it even has programs that help develop the prescription drug monitoring programs. for example, back in beaver county and allegany county, we have veteran treatment courts that provide alternative justice systems with those who suffer from addiction and run afoul of the law can receive the care, treatment, intervention they need. the alternative systems these courts offer are the type of programs the regroup act will help support. in courts like these help break the cycle of addiction for these individuals and save lives. our whole society benefits when someone breaks the chain of addiction. mr. speaker, if we are to end the opioid crisis, then we must attack this problem at all levels. we must be committed to this fight for the long term and we must increase support for these programs. the regroup act will help us continue this fight against the opioid crisis. thank you, mr. speaker. and i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from texas is recognized. ms. jackson lee: again, i ask to -- unanimous consent to address the house for such time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. jackson lee: thank you. let me thank the gentleman from pennsylvania for his leadership and for his concern for what has been a deadly journey for many americans. as i close, i'd like to share just a moment of the devastating impact that this epidemic of drugs has had in many communities. more than 80% of the defendants sentenced for crack cocaine offenses were african-americans. despite the fact that more than 66% of cocaine users were either white or hispanic. in 2010 we reduced the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine from

100-1 to 18-1. but we did not even make those changes apply retroactively and the remaining disparity and remaining mandatory nature of the penalty remains. therefore, there is much to do. this bill will help us a lot. but there is no excuse to continue to allow people as is evidence by the recent pardon of the administration of an individual who had been incarcerated on a drug offense. no excuse for us to allow these injustices to persist even as we proceed to work on these opioid epidemic. so i think it is extremely important that we, as former attorney general eric holder said when he instituted his initiative to address some of the inequities with respect to prosecuting drug crimes, we need to be smart on crime. treatment is very important. this legislation, raising the amount of grant money to help with the courts and treatment elements, will be a major aspect to saving lives. but we do not need to continue

to get tough in northern arena where we're speaking about -- in another arena where we're speaking about raising the death penalty for drug crimes as the attorney general offered and we should not tell prosecutors to ratchet up criminal charges and penalties for drug offenders. none of that solves the problem. what we're doing today will solve the problem. instead of doubling down on failing policies that do not do anything more than proliferate misery for the incarcerated person who really needs treatment and as well the family, we need real leadership involving a commitment to increased resources for the alternatives we know are actually effective. i really do believe the veterans courts, for example, are a god send to many of our veterans who come back and truly need help. and they are to grateful for help. they may have gotten addicted while in the service or because of circumstances after leaving the service including issues

dealing with their own psychological needs. but in any event, we know they have served their nation. so continuing to support those kinds of alternatives are extremely important, and we should support this bill so that we can continue those alternatives but we need to but we that we speak need to make sure that people that get caught up in the system or just addicted from the terrible plight that they have with drug addiction. and as we work to do more, we must ensure that we look at the crisis as it relates to mass incarceration and we must also all of the addictions,

rack cocaine, as the same. let us continue to seek to reform our drug laws. let us reform our sentencing laws and let us broaden our approaches to preventing and addressing drug abuse. i think the experts will tell us that that has been one of the most effective pathways to get people away from drugs and to get their lives restored and the lives of their families restored. with that i ask my scletion to support this legislation and -- colleagues to support this legislation and with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i, too, want to thank the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. rothfus. i want to thank the gentlewoman, the ranking member of the crime, terrorism, homeland security investigation for her dedication to addressing this very serious problem. and i want to urge all of my colleagues to join us in supporting this fine legislation and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the

bill h.r. 6029. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5889. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5889, a bill to require the secretarof health and human services to disseminate information, resources, andf requested, technical assistance to early childhood care and education providers and professionals working with young children on recognize and respond to children who may be impacted by trauma related to substance abuse. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. brat, and the gentlewoman from oregon, ms. bonamici, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. brat: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 5889.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. brat: i rise in support of h.r. 5889, the recognizing early childhood trauma related , substance abuse act of 2018 and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. brat: thank you, mr. speaker. last year we lost more virginians to opioid overdoses than any other year in the last decade. for fiche years -- five years now, fatal drug overdoses are the leading cause of death in virginia. in 2017, the average overdose rate across virginia was 14 per 1,000 people, but in one county it increased from 11.5 in 2015 to 19.6 in 2017. n fact, 87% of inmates identified drug involvement as being a direct or indirect reason for their incarceration.

87%. ut of the 1,007 inmates, a plurality began using at age 13. but the largest overdose rate last year was in culpepper county which increased from about 22 per 1,000 people in 2015 to 38 in 2017. we are losing friends, family members, and neighbors every day. last november the committee on education and work force held a hearing to examine how opioids are impacting communities across america. during the hearing, members heard testimony from ms. toni minor, a family support partner for the child and youth leadership who uses her own past struggle with drug abuse to help other families and children. who need help to overcome their addiction. in her testimony, minor said that addiction is a family disease. if it's not treated, history will continue to repeat itself.

one of the unintended consequences of the opioid epidemic is that it has devastated lives of users and lives of their families as well. maybe the most tragic reality of this epidemic is it has devastated the lives of our children. half of opioid overdose deaths occur among men and women ages 25 to 44, and many of these individuals are parents. the number of children in the u.s. foster care system is increasing. in a recent study it showed almost one in three children who were placed in the foster care system in 2015 entered at least partially due to parental drug abuse. in virginia, there were 5,295 children in foster care as of april. these children and those living with an addicted caregiver experience unimaginable hardship and trauma and thus have unique needs. when these tragedies occur, the children need the community's

help. the professionals working at childcare homes and centers, head start programs, faith-based organizations, camps, doctor offices, and many other places are in a special position to identify and assist children affected by substance abuse. however, they may not have the preparation and education needed to recognize the risk factors associated with childhood trauma due to an adult's substance abuse. information and resources from the department of health and human services could help educate child care and early education providers how to identify risk factsors and respond appropriately when face -- factors and respond appropriately when this happens. such information and resource also help keep more children safe while aiding in a healthy development and well-being of the child and promoting whole family approaches whenever possible. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from oregon is recognized. ms. bonamici: thank you, mr. speaker.

i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. bonamici: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 5889, which would help reduce childhood trauma by requiring the department of health and human services to provide information and technical assistance to early childhood professionals about the best ways to help treat children struggling with trauma related to substance abuse exposure. children exposed to adverse childhood experiences, or aces, are more likely to suffer from substance abuse -- substance use disorder later in life, and we can save money and life by better supporting these children. i recently held a listening tour throughout northwest oregon to better understand how opioids are devastating our communities and to identify and discuss the tools we need to combat this epidemic. i heard from health care professionals, families who

lost loved ones, individuals in recovery, and community leaders who all called for greater federal investment to fight back against opioids. one of the discussions i convened focused specifically on the needs of children and how we can better support them to succeed, both in the classroom and in life. a busy educator and other childhood professionals now often find themselves serving as first responders to a growing crisis. some schools in my home state of oregon are adopting a trauma informed care approach to better support affected students. for instance, warrenton grade school is a shining example. they are deliberately building a culture of care that focuses on meeting the emotional needs of children hand in hand with their academic growth. butchoolsnd especially school-based health centers are

already facing budget shortages and urgently need additional resources for prevention programs and for screening. i encourage my colleagues to support the passage of this legislation, but this bill will not be effective if we don't invest in comprehensive support for young children and their parents. traumatic events during childhood often trigger substance abuse later in life. it is vital that we support early learning initiatives to provide children the comprehensive support they need, including programs like head start and home visiting programs. i want to thank congressman brat. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from virginia. mr. brat: i continue to yield my time -- i continue to reserve, sorry. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from oregon. ms. bonamici: mr. speaker, i

yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from arizona, mr. o'hallor and, legislation. this mr. o'halleran: i rise in strong support of recognizing early childhood trauma related to substance abuse act. i thank the gentleman from virginia for teaming up with me to protect the most vulnerable victims of the opioid epidemic ravaging our communities across america and our children. as a former police officers, i know what the impacts of addiction and jow doses can do. the trauma is real and the effects can be lifelong for many innocent kids. we know from research that this type of trauma can affect school performance, behavior and the livelihood of substance abuse

years later. nobody is more deserving of our attention and our resources than these kids. it's why i was proud to introduce the recognizing early childhood trauma related to substance abuse agget with my colleague. this bipartisan bill will reduce childhood trauma by the abuse of illegal substances by parents and guardians. the rising abuse of opioids and other illegal drugs is not only devastating communities across this great nation, it is jeopardizing the future of millions of young children who are living through untold traumatic experiences. this commonsense bipartisan legislation will support early childhood professionals and give them the tools they need to identify trauma and support kids

with age-appropriate resources. in rural america, skyrocketing overdose rates have had a tremendous impact on every aspect of our communities, including our schools and early childhood institutions. in arizona, opioid and heroin overdose rates have risen sharply since 2012. it's past time for action to bring resources into our neighborhoods and tackle these issues. kids affected by substance abuse disorder need our attention now to ensure every single one of them has a bright future they deserve. i'm glad congress agrees and is working across the aisle to take this important step forward. i thank the chairman and ranking member for their support on this bill. and i look forward to its passage and implementation at this urgent time for families across america and the nation.

and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. mr. brat: i'm prepared to close if the gentlelady is prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. brat: i thank the congresswoman for her great work in committee and her keen insights and great presentation today as well. and i would also like to personally thank the sheriffs back at home. helping with the statistics they do and for their recovery programs back at home. they do outstanding work along with some of the other recovery efforts. they work hand-in-hand across the aisle. i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of h.r. 5889 and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlelady from oregon. ms. bonamici: i thank congressman brat and congressman o'halleran. i urge its passage. the speaker pro tempore: all time has expired. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the amended. 5889 as those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the chair needs to correct himself. the bill was not amended. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5889. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. garrett: i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 589. the clerk: provide assistance to states in complying with and implementing certain provisions of section 106 of the child abuse and treatment act in order to prevent better protections for young children and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. garrett and the gentlewoman from oregon, each will control 20

minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. garrett: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 5890. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. garrett: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 5890, the assist ing states implementation of plans safe care act and yield myself such time as i may consume. in 2016, a staggering 2.1 million americans experienced an opioid abuse disorder. the number of fatalities based on opioid abuse in the most recent year approaches the number 60,000. it is nearly six-fold the number of alcohol-related deaths on our ighway and two-fold on our hey way and plus nonsuicide-related

firearms deaths combined. what's more troubling, and they directly suffered from abuse. what it does not take into account, the people who experienced a second-hand struggling with opioid addiction. one of the greatest abuses is children have been swept up from a family member or other adult tasked with carrying for them sm the child abuse prevention and treatment act recently amended in 2016 by the comprehensive addiction and recovery act requires states to implement a plan of safe care to protect the health and safety of young children and treatment and service delivery. unfortunately, the requirements failed to provide states with substantive guidance and information which has led to

significant confusion and poor implementation of plans of safe care. states and localities might benefit from wrine guidance and technical assistance provided by the department of health and human services as they strive to meet federal requirements and address the known challenges in their individual plans. through enhanced understanding of the requirements, states will be better protect the well-being of children and infants when dealing with families impacted by opioid abuse. the epidemic is multi generational in nature as children must confront the pain of an addicted parent or guardian. by plans of safe care, we can give children the protection they need while strengthening long-term success and stability. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation. i would reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance

of his time. the gentlelady from oregon. ms. bonamici: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. bonamici: i rise in support of h.r. 5890. the most recent omnibus legislation increased funding for the chile abuse prevention and treatment act by $60 million. and this bill would help states improve their support for infants, children and families suffering from the opioid epidemic by requiring health and human services to provide guidance to states and how to implement effective plans of safe care. pregnant women and young mothers can face insurmountable challenges when struggling with addiction. i think about tiffany who i met in oregon. she is from happy valley, oregon and her struggle began after she was prescribed medication.

after having to send her kids to live with her mom, she accessed treatment and other support services and now clean and in recovery and able to care for her kids again and importantly, help others. we must do everything we can to support moms like tiffany and provide the necessary resources and care to parents and their children so they can have the opportunity to be reunited. and although i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, it is important to note that even with the $60 million increase is not fully funded. only when they receive the full amount authorized under law will states be able to meet all requirements and adequately address the needs of children exposed to substance abuse. i thank congressman garrett and congressman murphy for their important work on this legislation and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman resevers. the gentleman from virginia. mr. garrett: mr. speaker, i would yield such time as she may nsume to the chairwoman, ms. foxx. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized for such time as she may consume. ms. foxx: i thank my colleague from virginia for yielding time. mr. speaker, across the country, communities are struggling to bare the heavy burden of the worsening trend to opioid addiction. we like the evidence-based making and like to see numbers and statistics but these are never just numbers. they are real people in our own communities. we have held hearings, spoken with experts, brainstormed solutions and drafted bills and it has become abundantly clear that every living when an opioid

addiction there are countless others. few things are more devastating than witnessing a neighbor, friend, co-worker or loved one fall prey to addiction and feeling powerless to stop it. i want to thank and commend members of the committee on education and work force for leaving no stone unturned as we work to make healing possible to all victims of this scourge of addiction. not only those struggling with opioid abuse. too many people, especially children, have been impacted by this scourge. today's bills are designed to bring relief to those who are affected by the addiction while addressing the needs of children and families who have been left in this tragedy's wake. according to many experts, the worst of the opioid addiction is still to come. if we are to bring this senseless tragedy to an end, we

need to do all we can to ensure that the law addresses the needs of families, workplaces and communities at-large. i believe the bills the house is voting on today will do just that and commend the members of the education and work force committee for all their har work. and with that, mr. speaker, i yid back. the speaker pro tempore: t ntlelady yields back. the gentlewoman from oregon. ms. bonamici: i would like to yield such time as she may consume to the the gentlewoman from florida, ms. murphy, who is a co-sponsor of this legislation. mrs. murphy: i'm proud to be the democratic lead of this bipartisan bill and i thank mr. garrett from virginia for working with me. the purpose of our bill is to ep sure that states have effective plans in place to protect infants who are innocent victims. the bill aims to help florida and other states develop evidence-based policies and

procedures to take care of babies born dependent on drugs. too many americans and floridians battle opioid addiction. as a mother, it breaks my heart to see infants suffering. we must do everything possible to ensure that drug-dependent babies receive proper care at the hospital and medical support once they are discharged. there are an estimated 2.1 million americans addicted to opioids. babies born to mothers who use pioids are born with a sin drom. while there are effective ways to treat, there are no uniform protocols. states are required to develop a plan to care for infants exposed to substance abuse. 2015 investigation by reuters indicated that very few states have plans in states to fulfill

this requirement. as a result, too many infants exposed to substance abuse and caregivers are not receiving the come prepares i have support they need. our bill seeks to address this problem. it would require guidance to states how to care for infants born dependent on drugs. it would ensure this guidance promotes evidence-based practices and encourages state governments to collaborate with health care providers, social service agencies and other community stakeholders and ensure that h.h.s. guidance promotes guidance to keep families intact. each year, thousands of babies in this country are born addicted to opioids including 4,000 in florida alone. these babies need our support. this bill seeks to provide it. i respectfully ask my colleagues to vote yes. thank you. i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. >> mr. speaker, i'm prepared to close if the gentlelady from oregon would like to conclude her remarks. ms. bonamici: thank you, mr. speaker. once again i'd like to encourage my colleagues to support this legislation. i want to thank congressman garrett and congresswoman murphy for their work on this legislation. i also want to thank chairwoman foxx for reminding us that we're not just talking about abstract policy. we're talking about real people. men, women and especially children, who are affected by this crisis. so, again, thank you to the co-sponsors of the legislation. i urge its passage and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from virginia. mr. garrett: mr. speaker, i would thank the gentlelady from florida, as well as the chairwoman from north carolina, and my friend and colleague, ms. bonamici, from oregon. i would strongly urge my colleagues of every political stripe to recognize that perhaps

while responsibility is best exercised when taken and not given, we contemplate here the outcomes for so many innocents who are unable to determine their circumstance, that is indeed children who are born into this horrific affliction of opioid addiction. and understand that while one might wax poetic about things like personal responsibility and accountability, that the federal government does indeed have a role to fill a vacuum where the states have not acted, in a circumstance where in those who suffer suffer by virtue of circumstances far beyond their control. i would hope that the members of this body on both sides would find themselves compelled by the sheer mathematical magnitude of the epidemic that is the opioid crisis. again, one that takes more lives than nonsuicide, gun violence and automobile accident -- nonsuicide gun violence and automobile accidents combined and one that impacts not just those who exercise choices, but those impacted by circumstances

far beyond their control, with this but a humble step, not a panacea toward creating a better circumstance wherein all americans experience something closer to an equal opportunity to prosper. mr. speaker, with that i urge my colleagues across both sides of the political spectrum to vote in favor of 5890. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 5890. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. mr. garrett: mr. speaker, i'd request a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman requests a recorded vote. does the gentleman request the yeas and nays? mr. garrett: yes, i do, mr. speaker.

the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. the chair lays before the house the following enrolled bill. the clerk: h.r. 4743, an act to amend the small business act, to strengthen the office of credit risk management within the small business administration and for ther purposes. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman

from wisconsin seek recognition? mr. grothman: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules nd pass the bill, h.r. 5891. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5891, a bill to establish an interagency task force to improve the federal response to families impacted by substance abuse disorders. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. grothman, and the gentlelady from oregon, ms. bonamici, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. grothman: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 5891. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. grothman: we've all heard about the opioid epidemic. and i always feel, despite the fact that it's been very publicized, it's still been underpublicized. over 40,000 people every year die of this epidemic. i'm old enough to remember the vietnam war. and it was relatively late in

that war before we got to 41,000 deaths. we all remember how that divided the country. that's more people that die in this year, every year, than the number of people who are both murdered and die in car accidents combined. i'm on a variety of committees and if you sit on almost any committee, i think in this institution, eventually the topic of opioid abuse comes up. one of the things that hits me when it comes up is the degree to which there are varying opinions on what to do with this, and it varies from agency to agency. therefore, what i'm proposing in this bill is a task force that gets together two representatives of the department of health and human services, the department of education, the department of agriculture and the department of labor, together -- to get together and look for solutions and look for best practices. the secretary of health and human services is also supposed to appoint four other members to this task force.

i don't want this to be one of the task forces that's hanging out there for too long. they've got to come back with recommendations within nine months and hopefully we'll use these recommendations by this time next year, on this floor. it is very frustrating, like i id, to attend these hearings and hear among the experts such divergent opinions as to how to save some lives here. we really cannot be spending more time on programs that don't work or having the agencies not work with each other. i look forward to strong leadership from this committee. i expect that they will be taking advice from strong local leaders who have done what they can to address this epidemic around the country. we must put our full weight behind a coordinated strategy to

bring stability and health to our communities. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from oregon. ms. bonamici: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. bonamici: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 589 it 1, which would establish -- 5891, which would establish an interagency task force to identify, evaluate and recommend ways in which federal agencies can better coordinate responses to the opioid epidemic and carry out their authorized duties. many factors have contributed to this crisis and it will take significant efforts to overcome it. throughout my listening tour around northwest oregon to discuss the opioid crisis, it became abundantly clear that local, state and federal officials must work together to address this epidemic and stem the loss of lives. as i previously mentioned, i heard from numerous providers,

individuals in recovery, families who lost loved ones, teachers, community leaders, all who called for greater federal investment to fight back against opioids and more assistance for state and local entities that are working on the front lines. because of the breadth of programs required to assist families, any government effort to address substance use disorder and the opioid crisis must be a coordinated and collaborative approach across agencies. i'm hopeful that this interagency task force will result in a more collaborative plan of action to address the many issues facing my constituents and the other people across this country. i am, however, concerned that a plan of action without the necessary funding to carry out the recommendations will remain just a plan. and so i urge my colleagues to support providing sufficient resources to implement these solutions. i want to thank my colleagues, congressman grothman and congressman lamb, for their work

on this legislation. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. grothman: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from oregon. ms. bonamici: thank you, mr. speaker. i would like to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. lamb, who i know is very concerned about this issue as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for such ime as he may consume. mr. lamb: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to ask my colleagues to support h.r. 5891, a bill i introduced with my republican colleague, mr. grothman, and i thank mr. grothman and ranking member bonamici for their efforts. this bill is part of the fight against opioids. it creates an interagency task force to study how we can take the work that these government agencies are doing and do it even better.

we have to do it better for the families that are affected. and i think the range of bills we're talking about today recognize that and i thank my republican colleagues for focusing on that. because the mothers, the fathers, the brothers and the sisters who have been left behind, they are our first line of defense and they need our support. mr. speaker, this heroin and opioid addiction is a full-blown crisis in western pennsylvania. it is a disease that does not discriminate. people with money, people without money, people of all races, everyone has been affected and our people are dying every single day. an entire generation of americans, which is my generation, will have a huge hole in it, where our brothers and our sisters should have been. last year we lost more than 60,000 americans to the disease of drug addiction. and they lt behind more than 60,000 families. for too long those families have carried too heavy of a burden with too little support for our government.

i can tell you about the first one of these families i met. when i was a prosecutor investigating the death of their son, i met a family whose son reminded me of so many young men that i served in the marines with. he was in his 20's, he was a hard worker. he was prescribed prescription drugs for an injury that he got on the job. he worked in the natural gas fields. he became addicted to opioids and he survived three different drug overdoses. his family kept him alive. they rescued him from the side of the road when he had been in a car with other drug addicts who threw him out when he started to overdose. they fought for years to get him into treatment and finally got him into a 30-day treatment program. where he went and succeeded. on the 31st day, that young man was released too soon, and his mother was in a near fatal car accident the same day. he spent the day staring at her in the i.c.u. and, no surprise, returned to heroin that same night, and passed away the next morning. that man should still be with us

today. he was discovered by his grandfather and by his brother and that family will think about him and be asking forever what more they could have done. i met them. i sat in front of the father who in front of me and -- who cried in front of me, asking what he can do. we have to have their back. h.r. 5891 is a positive step forward. that's what this is for. if this were any foreign military threat, we would study it in detail, we would proceed strategically with great discipline and in a bipartisan way. and that's what we're doing here. this bill requires federal agencies to do something that they don't always do on their own, which is talk to each other. and to put families first. it also requires them to listen to the people who are already working most closely with these families. nurses, doctor, teachers, therapists -- doctors, teachers, therapists. so we can use their testimony to

make sure that this task force produces results and not just a report. that's something we've seen so far in western pennsylvania. our former u.s. attorney led a local working group and task force in the western district of pennsylvania, which then became the model for the national heroin task force. and within a couple of years they gathered enough data and enough testimony and enough momentum that that became the basis for the white house's unprecedented request for funding to fight this battle. and eventually this chamber got together with the senate and in a bipartisan way passed the 21st century cures act. we need to harness that same spirit now and as ranking member bonamici said we need to spend more than we've spent so far. this is an existential threat. we need to treat it that way. i thank congressman grothman and urge my colleagues to support this and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time.

he gentleman from wisconsin. mr. grothman: politicians talk about resources, they mean money. timber, iron ore. up here, we mean money. i'm prepared to decline the rest of my time if the gentlelady is so willing. the speaker pro tempore: to close? mr. grothman: prepared to close. ms. bonamici: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank congressman grothman and congressman lamb for their important work on this legislation and emphasize that once we get the report from this task force, we need to have the funding, the resources and money to implement its recommendation to make sure it helps the people we are serving. again, thank you for your work on this legislation and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. gentleman is prepared to close?

mr. grothman: i thank my democratic colleagues for making this a fine piece of bipartisan legislation and i hope when the recommendations come back in nine months, we could have another nice bipartisan vote and move the recommendations out. i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5891. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, -- mr. grothman: i would like to ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: i have o pass the bill first. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. mr. grothman: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman requests the yeas and nays. the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until a sufficient number

having arisen, yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5892. the clerk: h.r. 589 the 2 a bill to accomplish to department of labor can address the impact of opioid abuse on the workplace. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota, mr. lewis and the gentlewoman from oregon, each will control 20

minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from minnesota. mr. lewis: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to include extraneous material on h.r. 5892. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. lewis: i rise today in support of h.r. 5892 and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lewis: the effects of the opioid public health emergency can be seen throughout our local communities and maybe most acutely in our workplaces. according to the national council on alcohol and drug dependence, 70% of the 15 million americans are currently employed. furthermore, according to the bureau of labor statistics, the number of overdose fatalities on the job have increased 25% annually since 2012. these statistics serve that workplaces are not immune and workplaces could serve as crucial places to provide

outreach to those who are struggling with opioid addiction. we have been examining this critical issue, the subcommittee on health, employment, labor and pensions and the subcommittees on work force protection, held a joint hearing to hear how the epidemic is affecting workplaces and business owners who have addressed are steps. some of the initiatives these businesses have taken are not only inspiring but show promising results. the u.s. department of labor could benefit from more information about the solutions originating from the private sector to address the challenges of maintaining a healthy work force. h.r. 5892 will create an advisory committee to make recommendations to the secretary of labor on what specific actions the department can take to provide informational resources that will help mitigate some of the most harmful effects of opioid abuse

in the workplace. the committee will convene twice a year to discuss initiatives and report best practices and sunset after three years. mr. speaker, this bipartisan bill will be an instrumental part of the greater solution to fight the opioid epidemic and support employers who are working to promote workplace safety and assist with employee recovery. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation. and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from oregon is recognized. ms. bonamici: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. bonamici: i rise today in support of h.r. 5892. in addition to the severe health consequences of substance abuse disorders, the opioid epidemic has taken a serious toll in the workplace. more than 10 million workers have a substance abuse disorder. a survey found that 70% of

employers have seen some effect of prescription drug usage ncluding decreased job performance and arrests on or off the job. when i traveled across northwest oregon to talk with community members about the opioid crisis, i heard about those who have been affected. oregon's low unemployment rate is employers struggling to find personnel. it has weakened our work force when our economy needs more workers. a timber company reported that one applicant passed a drug test. when i hear from people in recovery, many say they could not continue working while struggling with addiction. we must acknowledge that our work and personal life are intertwined that an employer's interest in the health of its employees should not end at the door and investing in employees

through proactive prevention while policies can be good for employees and for the bottom line. an estimated 20% of the decline in the men's labor force participation over the last 20 years can be attributed to the increase in opioid prescriptions. for women, 25%. sadly the disease of addiction is affecting people far beyond their homes. if we make any progress, our workplaces must have policies that support affected workers. this legislation would establish a council to advise the secretary of labor on actions the department can take to provide informational resources and guidance to address the effects of substance abuse disorders in the workplace. the council will be comprised of stakeholders including substance abuse disorder experts, unions and employers and as well as

those in recovery. the council would be charged with assessing a range of workplace technologies and best practices. these best practices will benefit employers and employees alike while keeping them safe, healthy, productive and on the job. i support legislation for other workplace protections that are vital for people that are struggling, such as paid leave. there are more that we can do to make sure that workers can access and seek treatment and be able to return to their jobs as soon as possible. i want to thank congressman lewis and congressman cartwright for their work on this legislation. and i resevere. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. lewis: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from oregon. ms. bonamici: i yield to the gentleman from pennsylvania, the

co-sponsor of this important legislation, mr. cartwright. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mrcartwright: thankou, madam speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 5892, a bill that i am proud to have co-sponsored with representative lewis. i would like to thank congressman lewis as well as the education and work force committee for their hard work on this bill. and pennsylvania has the fourth highest rate of deaths due to drug overdoses in the nation and northeastern pennsylvania where i represent has one of the highest rates of fatal drug overdoses in our state. beyond the statistics are stories of broken families and broken dreams due to the addiction to and the abuse of these drugs. in fact, the centers for disease control and prevention estimate

that approximately 91 deaths from opioid overdoses occur every day in our nation. this epidemic -- it breaks our hearts. but it also hurts our economy. an estimated 20% of men and 25% of women declined labor force participation between 1999 and 2015 can be attributed to the increase in opioid prescriptions. this is a public health and economic crisis that we have to address right now. and that's why i am so pleased to see the house taking up this legislation establishing this advisory council to study the impact of opioid abuse on the workplace is essential to understanding how damaging this epidemic is both to individuals and communities. we know that we must confront

this epidemic on all fronts. it's a bill that is an important step towards helping those dealing with substance abuse remain in the work force. our work on opioids has to continue after this week. our communities have not yet healed from the traumatic losses they've suffered. and we have to continue to focus on this issue if we are to have any hope of adequately addressing the harm, the public health that opioid abuse has caused. again, i thank congressman lewis for his work on this bill. i'm proud to join him in that work, and i urge my colleagues in the house of representatives to support it. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlelady from oregon reserves. ms. bonamici: i'm prepared to close. mr. lewis: i'm prepared to close.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady free oregon. ms. bonamici: once again, i thank congressman lewis and congressman cartwright for their work on h.r. 5892. and as we continue with this work we must recognize it is much harder for people to be successful in their recovery if they do not have a job. let's work with our employers and the council will advise us and follow their recommendations. i urge passage of this bill and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. mr. lewis: i yield myself the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lewis: i would like to thank my democratic colleagues for their efforts on behalf of this bill as well at a time when businesses large and small are noticing the effect of this crisis, opioid abuse on employee health and economic activity. the coordination between the department of labor and private stakeholders prompted by this

bill is vital to curing the safety of american workplace. irge my coletion to vote in favor and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5892. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. the bill is passed. and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? mr. lewis: i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill senate 1091 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the bill. the clerk: senate 1091 an act to establish a federal task force to support grandparents raising grandchildren. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from minnesota and the gentlewoman from oregon each will control 20 minutes. mr. lewis: i ask unanimous

consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. lewis: i rise in support of the amendments to s. 1091, supporting grandparents raising grandchildren act and yield myself such time as i may consume. . . it has become clear that the epidemic is not contained to a single generation. rather, it effects everyone from infants who have been left behind by an addicted parent or a guardian, to seniors who have step into the role of primary caregiver -- stepped into the role of primary care giver to take care of their grandchildren. at present -- caregiver to take care of their grandchildren. at present, experts believe this number is increasing in large part due to the rise of the opioid epidemic. a child going to live with his or her grandparent is often the best outcome in a difficult situation, as it allows for

important family connections to remain in tact and can reduce the trauma a child feels. however, it can present certain challenges to grandparents who lack the necessary information and tools to provide their grandchildren with the loving attention and proper care. the house amendment to s. 1091, the supporting grandparents raising grandchildren act, will help to support these grandparents in their care giving responsibilities. the bill directs the creation of an advisory council led by the department of health and human services, to tied -- to identify and disseminate useful information to grandparents who are primary caretakers of their grandchildren. placing a special emphasis on those families who have been impacted by the opioid epidemic. the advisory down shrill focus on disseminating information to help grandparents meet the health, educational, nutritional and other needs of the children they are caring for. the house amendment ensures the down shrill solicit input from state and local entities and grandparents themselves. to inform the best practices and ensure the most useful information is in circulation. it also terminates the council

after three years to ensure the information is disseminated in a timely manner. madam speaker, with so many parents struggling with addiction, grandparents are increasingly coming to the rescue. it is important that we provide these grandparents with the information they need to care for their grandchildren. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from oregon is recognized. ms. bonamici: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. bonamici: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today in support of s. 1091 as amended. he supporting grandparents raising grandchildren act. this bill will provide support to the millions of grandparents raising their grandchildren. child welfare experts agree that substance use disorders,

especially addiction to opioids, are behind much of the growing number of grandparents raising their grandchildren. raising grandchildren can dramatically alter the lives of these grandparents who can sometimes be overwhelmed by the unique challenges they face as they adapt to their new roles and responsibilities. the supporting grandparents raising grandchildren act would create an advisory council charged with identifying best practices, resources and other tools to help grandparents and other older care givers address common challenges -- care givers address -- caregivers address common challenges. this information is vital and will provide to be life saving to grandparents striving to care both for themselves and for their families. i want to thank senator susan collins and senator bob kasey for their work on this bill and thank congressman mcgovern and congressman king and congressman lewis for their leadership in the house. this bipartisan, bicameral effort is a testament to the

importance of this growing and important issue. i urge my colleagues to support s. 1091 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. lewis: madam speaker, i continue to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from oregon is recognized. ms. bonamici: thank you, madam speaker. i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from massachusetts, the co-sponsor of this house legislation, mr. mcgovern. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. mcgovern: thank you. i want to thank congresswoman bonamici for the time and, first, let me say how proud i am to have introduced the house companion toon important bipartisan, bicameral bill. madam speaker, one of the most heartbreaking aspects of the opioid epidemic is that a tremendous strain is placed not only on those who are struggling with addiction ordealing with substance use disorders, but also on their families, their friends and their support networks. oftentimes when parents are struggling with addiction and

unable to raise a child, that responsibility falls to a grandparent. right now, as has been said, over 2 1/2 million children are being raised by their grandparents. and we only expect that number to grow. these grandparent had been led households often -- grandparent-led households often face unique challenges. they may not have time to plan financially for raising another child. they may not have the resources to ensure their home or their car is ready to raise a child. there may be barriers for them to access the child's medical or school information. it may be difficult for them to navigate the complex school requirements in many communities, to ensure that their grandchild does not fall behind during a move. down ey may need to spend their savings or refinance a home in order to provide for their grandchildren, putting their own financial future in jeopardy. this bill, the supporting grandparents raising grandchildren act, will help us bring to the forefront the resources that grandparents need

to raise their grandchildren. it will create an important new federal advisory council focused on developing and disseminating information designed to help grandparents. the advisory council would examine information about how to address mental health issues, how to navigate school systems and how to build social and support networks that create the best possible environment for children. madam speaker, we are so grateful that these grandparents have stepped in to care for grandchildren and we need to do everything we can to support and sustain them. i want to thank especially senator susan collins of maine for her leadership on this issue, along with senator kasey from pennsylvania and i'm grateful to my colleague, congressman peter king of new york, for his work in help getting this legislation passed. you know, as we deal with the opioid crisis, we have to deal with many different issues. it's not just one issue. there's multiple issues and this is one of them. so i appreciate the bipartisan

support for my bill and i appreciate the gentlelady for yielding me the time and i will yold yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlelady from oregon. reserve? ms. bonamici: thank you, madam speaker. mr. lewis: madam speaker, i'm prepared to close if the gentlelady is. ms. bonamici: thank you, miami. again, i support this legislation, the supporting grandparents raising grandchildren act, and other efforts of my colleagues to address the opioid crisis. but these policies will only be a drop in the bucket if the administration continues undermining access to affordable, comprehensive health care that includes robust affordable care act protections for pre-existing conditions like substance use disorder. and if we are to stem the tide of this epidemic, medicare, medicaid andrivaurte ins must fully cover addiction treatment and safer aernatives to opioids for pain. and one thing is clear.

changing policy alone won't stop this crisis. we also need more resources for prevention, treatment and innovative solutions. the urgent need for more funding is wide and varied. prevention programs need to be able to reach more people. researchers need additional funding to gather data that will drive effective solutions. overstretched public health departments need to be able to coordinate a comprehensive response. treatment facilities need more beds and more staff. health care providers need further education and training. we must increase the resources to match the scale of this problem, this crisis. and focus on making smart investments to adequately address the opioid crisis. once again i thank senators collins and kasey, as well as congressman mcgovern and king, for their work on this legislation. i urge its passage and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i yield myself the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lewis: madam speaker, thank you and i thank my colleagues across the aisle as well for their efforts in this regard. i too agree that absolutely we need health care reform to ensure that people have the kind of conversation that covers things like opioid and substance abuse. part of that effort means that people can afford good insurance policy and choose the kind of coverage they want and so that they're not priced out of the market and go without any insurance at all, which is really a problem for some of these people suffering through this epidemic. so in conclusion, i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of s. 1091 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass senate s. 1091 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. without objection, the title is amended.

for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2147 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 525. h.r. 2147. a bill to require the secretary of veterans affairs to hire additional veterans justice outreach specialists, to provide treatment court services to justice-involved veterans, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from tennessee, mr. roe, and the gentleman from california, mr. tailback, each will control 20 -- mr. takano, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from tennessee. mr. roe: i thank you, madam speaker. i ask that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without

objection. mr. roe: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself is as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. roe: thank you. madam speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 2147 as amended, the veterans treatment court improvement act of 2018. this bill would require the department of veterans affairs, v.a., to hire at least 50 veteran justice outreach specialists also referred to as v.j.o. specialists, to serve in a veteran treatment or other veteran-focused court. v.j.o. specialists provide direct outreach to and case management -- case management servicesorer local criminal justice system. theyerve to protect some of our most vulnerable veterans from unnecessary criminalization and incarceration by working with laurment and the courts to -- law enforcement and the courts to identify mental health or substance abuse issues that may be underlying criminal behavior among veterans and to link veterans with treatment they need from the v.a. to recover and become fully functional and contributing

members of society. this bill is sponsored by congressman mike coffman of colorado. mike is a senior member of the veterans' affairs committee and a tireless advocate for service members, veterans and their families. i thank him for his leadership on this bill and i urge all of our colleagues to join me in supporting this and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. takano: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. takano: i rise in support of h.r. 2147 as amended, the veterans treatment court improvement act of 2018. bill -- the bill would require v.a. to expand access to veterans justice outreach specialists in an effort to aid veterans as they interact with the justice system. dealing with veterans who break the law can be complicated. and while they should be held accountable for their crimes,

there are frequently underlying factors like substance abuse or ptsd that come into play. transitioning from the battlefield to civilian life can be tough for many. these specialists are integral to v.h.a.'s efforts to ensure veterans avoid unnecessary criminalization of mental illness and extended incarceration among veterans. veteran treatment courts are proven ways to ensure veterans receive the treatment and support necessary to avoid recidivism. i have visited the riverside county veteran treatment court and witnessed firsthand the stellar services it offers veterans in my community. that is why i believe this bill is so important. as it would ensure veterans have the assistance and support they need to navigate successfully through the justice system. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. roe: thank you, madam speaker. at this point i'd like to yield two minutes to my good friend, congressman mike coffman, both an army and marine veteran, the sponsor of this bill, two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. coffman: madam speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 2147, the veterans treatment court improvement act. for many veterans the transition from military service has been successful with few challenges. however, that is not the case for all veterans. unfortunately for some veterans the integration into civilian life has been met with difficulties and complications and being caught up in the criminal justice system, often due to undiagnosed and untreated mental health issues attributed to multiple combat tours. the veteran treatment court improvement act of -- h.r. 2147, assistcr