Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Griffith amendment which provides additional time for implementation of the provisions of the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act included in this bill. I supported the inclusion of this language at committee, as I believe it will help increase access to substance use disorder treatment, the underlying language. However, enacting this language will be a huge policy change from the status quo. Furthermore, States do regulate the practice of medicine, and each State has unique, individual regulations and procedures regarding the dispensing and the prescribing of scheduled narcotics. States could use the additional time to update their laws with any changes they may want now that Federal restrictions will be removed. This is exactly what Mr. Griffith's amendment does. It sets the implementation date for removing the X waiver requirement to take effective on January 1, 2024. Madam Speaker, I support this commonsense amendment that will ensure that the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act gets appropriately implemented.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise to express my strong support for the Ferguson amendment, which would incorporate the language of the bipartisan, House-passed Behavioral Intervention Guidelines Act to the underlying package. This important amendment authorizes the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to develop best practices for establishing and appropriately using behavioral intervention teams in schools. Behavioral intervention teams are multidisciplinary teams that support students' mental health and wellness by identifying students experiencing stress, anxiety, or other behavioral disturbances, and conducting intervention and outreach to these students to help manage risk. These teams are already active in some educational settings, such as Texas Tech and the University of California, Los Angeles. By acting in a proactive manner to assist students and connecting them with needed resources, behavioral intervention teams help schools create a safe environment for their students and improve mental health outcomes in young people. It is more important now than ever that schools and communities have guidance on how to provide behavioral health resources and interventions for their students to facilitate the early intervention and treatment of mental health conditions. This amendment will help children get help before their conditions worsen or reach a crisis level. I strongly urge a ``yes'' vote on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, as the designee of the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Ferguson), I have an amendment at the desk.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I rise to urge adoption of the Demings amendment, which requires a report on the mental health issues experienced by law enforcement and the available resources or programs that are available to law enforcement officers to address mental health and stress. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, law enforcement officers report high rates of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorders, with nearly one in four having considered suicide. In fact, more officers die from suicide than do in the line of duty. The report will include recommendations to Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies on how to improve the mental health and well- being of our officers. It is a necessary first step in helping us understand what resources are available to improve the mental health and wellness of law enforcement officials. Those risking their lives to keep America safe deserve passage of this amendment. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I claim the time in opposition, but I urge adoption of the amendment.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. McKinley), who has been a longtime leader on the issues of substance abuse.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the amendments offered en bloc and yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for this group of amendments addressing substance use disorder. Included in this en bloc are important bills that have already passed with overwhelming support, including Representative Rodney Davis' Opioid Prescription Verification Act, which incentivizes States to use prescription drug monitoring programs; requires certain controlled substances to be prescribed electronically; and directs Federal agencies to develop, disseminate, and periodically update training materials to help pharmacists identify and report potential cases of bad actors who attempt to illegally buy and sell controlled substances. Also included is Representative David McKinley's Block, Report, And Suspend Suspicious Shipments Act, which places additional obligations on drug manufacturers and distributors to identify and stop suspicious orders of controlled substances. We have seen a devastating increase in overdose deaths that I think should be called poisonings, teens buying one pill via Snapchat and immediately overdosing because of a small amount of fentanyl in those pills. Just because it looks like a pill and someone says it was from a pharmacy does not make it so. We need to do more to stop both diversion of legitimate medication and counterfeits that are devastating our communities. These amendments are a good step in that direction, and I urge adoption. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Joyce).

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of the amendments offered en bloc. I rise today to express my strong support for this group of amendments. Included in this en bloc are important bills that have already overwhelmingly passed the House, including Representative Katko's Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act, which reauthorizes the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline program and ensures resources are available for the continued operation of the hotline, especially with 9-8-8 going live next month. Representative Katko also has included in this en bloc the Mental Health Services for Students Act, which provides an authorization for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Project AWARE grant. Project AWARE is a successful program which supports partnerships between the State and local systems in increasing awareness of mental health issues among school-aged youth; providing training for school personnel to detect and respond to mental health issues; and connecting students with behavioral health issues and their families to needed services. The en bloc also includes the Reschenthaler amendment, which would authorize a study on the cost of untreated serious mental illness on families, the health system, the justice system, and the economy. While very treatable, serious mental illness remains a neglected health issue, and I am hopeful that the data gleaned from this study will convince policymakers to do more to address this condition, including addressing the IMD exclusion. This group of amendments demonstrates the good work Congress can do when both parties come together to find meaningful solutions to address mental health in America. Madam Speaker, I urge adoption, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, I want to again just express appreciation to the chairman of the committee, all the Members that have participated in helping bring this package of very important mental health proposals to the House today. I urge a strong ``yes'' vote. As many have said, we have a mental health crisis. At a time when there is so much fear and anxiety and stress, we see increased suicide. We see drug overdoses, and it is time that we act, and act in a way that is really going to make a difference for America's families and our youth in particular. Madam Speaker, I urge support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Bucshon).

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Balderson).

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce), a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer).

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks).

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), who is a leader on the issue.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlemen from North Dakota (Mr. Armstrong), a leader on the committee.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Tony Gonzales), whose community understands the importance of hope and healing like no other right now.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill), a leader on this issue, who sponsored the underlying bill that is incorporated in this package.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie), our lead on the Subcommittee on Health.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Emmer), who has led on important provisions for children in this bill.