republicans and democrats, particularly i want to thank my partners, frank pallone and diana degette, and those on both sides of the aisle, particularly lamar alexander as we cobbled this thing together to get the votes in the house, and just want to close saying, you know what really made this important, it's personal. it's personal that everybody out there, our colleagues, our staff, our constituents, it is going to find the answer. and it's important that we did it right. we also want to thank the administration because without them it would not be a reality when president obama signs it into law next week. so, thank you, everybody. thank you. [ applause ] >> thank you, fred. and you and representative degette and pallone have site a remarkable example for the united states and we're grateful for that. >> say that again. >> i'll say it again next christmas when we do the same thing. dr. francis collins, the remarkable leader of the institutes of health, he calls it the national institutes of hope, predicted in a hearing before our committee that the following could happen in the ne

representatives frank pallone, and i have been pressing the national hockey league to do more to reduce risk of head injuries. mma is the latest sport where cte is an issue. we have seen some progress at the state level already. new york state included a provision in its mma legislation that recognizes the risk of brain trauma and requires mma promoters to carry insurance to cover treatment of life-threatening brain injuries. if, knowing the risks, adults adults still want to be part of mma fights that is all right. , but fighters and promotions should take some basic precautions and fighters issued have the leverage to stand up for their own safety. dr. mckee has written testimony and she provides some recommendations on the risk of brain injuries in mma. we also need to support further research on the connection between cte and contacts for -- contact sports so adults know , the risk. research is especially critical given the risk to young athletes. according to espn, an estimated 3.2 million kids 13 and under now participate in mma. kids can start classes as early as six years old. s

leadership on this bill, as well as the energy and commerce chairman fred upton, ranking member frank pallone and congresswoman diana degette. i am proud of our country's history of lifesaving public health initiatives and world-changing medical innovation. from eradicating smallpox to mapping the human genome, we have risen to challenges and found ways to combat seemingly unbeatable diseases and public health threats, and there's no question we are a stronger country nor that. the bill that we are talking about today, while far from perfect, gives us the chance to build on that tradition of leadership and respond to some urgent health challenges we face right now. one of those is the opioid epidemic. like many of my colleagues, i've heard from far too many families and local leaders in my home state about the ways the opioid use disorders are ruining lives and tearing families apart. my constituent, penny wil legate whose daughter died from an overdose at age of 18 sthais this crisis request k. "happen anywhere and it is everywhere." that's the same thing i heard from worry patients and sher

leadership on this bill, as well as the energy and commerce chairman fred upton, ranking member frank pallone and congresswoman diana degette. i want to reiterate my gratitude to our staff on both sides of the aisle who put in very long hours and weekends and more to get this legislation finished. as a result of a lot of strong bipartisan work, we are sending a bill now to the president's desk that will invest in tackling our hardest to treat diseases, put real dollars behind the fight against the opioid epidemic, and make badly needed changes to mental health care in our country. in particular, thanks to the strong bipartisan work of senator murphy and senator cassidy as well as congressman murphy. mr. president, i'm confident that i'm not alone in saying i've heard from so many people in my home state about each and every one of these challenges. there are patients and families waiting and hoping for new cures and treatments. people from every walk of life who made clear that the opioid epidemic has cost too many lives and torn too many families apart. and families who have struggled to get

this law was originally introduced by our ranking member, frank pallone, and his colleague, roy blunt, now in the senate, to provide that temporary exemption. this is really going to extend it. i joined with mr. pompeo and it's fitting we are working with mr. pompeo because he's about to start a new job that has just a little bit to do with security. and intelligence. and we congratulate him in that appointment by president-elect trump. this bill has the support of industry, it has the support of efficiency advocates. it addresses the unique need of critical life safety and security systems to remain on at all times. while it means the d.o.e. nergy efish hency standards. -efficiency standards. it's something we should be trying together to do more often when we pass a bill, it's a good bill, but find out it's got a bit of a problem, instead of arguing about it, let's fix it. we managed to accomplish that in this legislation. i urge my colleagues to support this bill. we have no further speakers on this side. i'm prepared to yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the ge