the hearing begins with testimony from congressman andy barr and paul tonko about addressing the issue. this is two hours and 15 minutes. [inaudible conversations]

andy barr. claudia tenney. martha mick sally -- martha mcsally. i hear martha is doing very well in the great state of arizona. don bacon. jason lewis. cathy mcmorris rodgers. representative neal dunn. representative elise alton. julia brownley. i assume we have a couple others -- anybody i did not announce? you want to stand? you deserve it. thank you all very much, really, it has been incredible. [applause] finally, i want to thank the veterans service organizations that helped us push the legislation across the finish line. whenever i spoke, this was one of the most important things. it was something i got the biggest hand for. people want to take care of our great vets. four years ago our entire nation was shocked and outraged by stories of the v.a. system plagued by abuse, fraud, and mistry smith -- mistreatment of our veterans. there was nothing they could do about it. the people that worked there couldn't take care of the bad people. with us are many brave veterans who endured that injustice. including steve cooper and laura vellar, they se

kevin cramer, jim banks, andy barr, claudia tenney, martha mcsally. i hear you're doing very well, mar wr youay be. i hear martha's doing very well in the great state of arizona. that's what the word is. don bacon, jason lewis, kathy mcmorris rogers, who's terrific. kathy. hi, kathy. representative neil dunn, ann custer, and julia brown. i want to thank -- and i assume we have a couple others out there. anybody i didn't announce? you want to stand and we'll announce you. you deserve it. thank you, all, very much. really, it's incredible. [ applause ] and finally, i want to thank the fantastic veteran service organizations that helped us push today's choice legislation across the finish line. enever ispoke, this was one of the most important things. it was something i got the biggest hand for. pe people want to take care of our th're great people. four years ago our entire nation was shocked and outraged by stories of the va system plagued by neglect, abuse, fraud, and mistreatment of our veterans. and there was nothg they could do about it. they could

next, h.r. 5735, the thrive act, sponsored by representative andy barr which would establish a pilot program for evidence-based transitional housing nonprofits that have experienced -- experience in recovery and skills training. finally, 2851, the stop importation and trafficing of synthetic analog act sponsored by representative john katko. this bill will enable law enforcement to more swiftly respond to synthetic drugs and keep our communities safe. along with numerous other bills, passing these will truly help us form a more perfect union. lastly, mr. speaker i want to congratulate my friends across the aisle. we are no strangers to droughts in california. but a 44-year championship drought is quite something. so congrats to my friend's beloved washington capitalle -- capitals on finally winning lord stanley's cup. it was a fun series to watch, it was well deserved victory far team and for all the fans of this region. with that, i will thank my friend and yield back to him. mr. hoyer: i thank my friend for the information he's given us. i certainly thank him for his comments at th

andy barr from kentucky. my home state of kentucky suffers from the third highest opioid mortality rate in the country. so many of these stories are stories of tragedy. this is a story of hope and this is roger with his two kids. roger arrived at shepherd's house recovery program in lexington, kentucky, on may 1, 2015, after making parole. when roger arrived he was helpless. all of his belongings fit into a single garbage bag. he was unemployed, unemployable. he had not seen his kids in 2 1/2 years and his family gave up on him. roger told the people at shepherd's house how to be responsible, show up on time, stay out of jail. he had no idea how to stay sober. but shepherd's house changed his perspective. through a housing program, a long-term transitional housing program, he learned how to build a support network that would teach him how to be a father and soon he was back visiting with his children on the weekends. eventually shepherd's house allowed roger to find freedom that he was never able to obtain be

first panel of witnesses are the original cosponsors and representative andy barr from the great state of kentucky and thank you for being here and mr. barr, you are recognized for your opening statement. >> thank you for putting this hearing on our legislative hr 2061, the first racing integrity act. was first elected to congress i dedicated my service to promoting the signature industries of kentucky and nothing was more synonymous with our commonwealth then thoroughbred briefing and horseracing. my district in particular holds the title as capital of the world. now 11 of the 13 triple crown winners were in the -- lexington kentucky is surrounded by more than 400 for class response including the home of the last triple crown winner american pharaoh. we host many notable races including the progress states in 2015 peters cup. however the sport is not only prominent in our district but chasing is actually a national sport. therefore, advocating for this industry requires more than just celebrating a proud heritage. with the pledge of reps sending the capital of the world comes the resp

andy barr. claudia tenney. martha mcsally. hear you are doing very well, wherever you may be, martha. i hear martha is doing very well in the great state of arizona. [applause] that is what the word is. don bacon. brad winstrom. jason lewis. kathy mcmorris-rogersrogers whos terrific. kathy? hi, kathy. representative neil don. representative lee zeldin. ann custer and julia brownly. i want to thank -- i assume we have a couple of others out there. anybody i didn't announce? you want to stand? we'll announce you. you deserve it. thank you all very much. really. it's incredible. [applause] finally, i want to thank the fantastic veteran service organizations that helped us push today's choice legislation across the finish line. whenever i spoke, this is one of the most important things. it was something i got the biggest hand for. people want to take care of our great vets. they are our great people. four years ago our entire nation was shocked and outraged by stories of the v.a. system plagued by neglect, abuse, fraud, and mistre

i commend governor fletcher and in particular my colleague, andy barr from kentucky, for their leadership on this legislation. this bill will give recovering addicts added help they need to rise above their addictions and fulfill their real potential in life. i encourage my colleagues to support the thrive act. with that i yield back. the chair: the gentlelady yields back. the gentlelady from california is recognized. ms. waters: may i inquire of mr. hensarling how many more speakers does he have? mr. hensarling: i anticipate no more speakers. i am prepared to close. ms. waters: thank you very much. i am prepared to close. i yield myself the remainder of my time. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. waters: mr. speaker, this week we are seeing my colleagues on the other side of the aisle advance legislation focused on individuals with opioid use disorders. we are really talking about drug addiction. these are the people they used to drug addicts, and i don't want us to hide behind any new language. we are talking about a serious problem of addiction here. something very important

next, h.r. 5735, the thrive act, sponsored by representative andy barr which would establish a pilot program for evidence-based transitional housing nonprofits that have experienced -- experience in recovery and skills training. finally, 2851, the stop importation and trafficing of synthetic analog act sponsored by representative john katko. this bill will enable law enforcement to more swiftly respond to synthetic drugs and keep our communities safe. along with numerous other bills, passing these will truly help us form a more perfect union. lastly, mr. speaker i want to congratulate my friends across the aisle. we are no strangers to droughts in california. but a 44-year championship drought is quite something. so congrats to my friend's beloved washington capitalle -- capitals on finally winning lord stanley's cup. it was a fun series to watch, it was well deserved victory far team and for all the fans of this region. with that, i will thank my friend and yield back to him. mr. hoyer: i thank my friend for the information he's given us. i certainly thank him for his comments at th