Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2281.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2281, the Easy Medication Access and Treatment for Opioid Addiction Act, or the Easy MAT for Opioid Addiction Act. As we have highlighted on the floor today, the opioid epidemic is a public health emergency that we must continue to address. Millions of Americans have been impacted by the drug crisis. A 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that 1.6 million Americans have an opioid use disorder. This is a chronic, treatable disease that patients can and do recover from. While the number of Americans with opioid use disorder was declining prior to the coronavirus pandemic, it is still alarming that less than one out of five of these Americans actually receive treatment. The Easy MAT for Opioid Addiction Act is a bill that makes it easier for patients to access medication-assisted treatment in the emergency room. For many patients, whether it be those experiencing an overdose or those seeking substance use disorder treatment, the emergency room can be the first or only point of care. Buprenorphine is one of three FDA-approved medications for treating opioid use disorder. In emergency situations, it may be dispensed from an emergency room by certain practitioners for up to 3 days. This policy is otherwise known as the 3-day rule. This rule is intended to help healthcare providers address acute withdrawal symptoms while a patient awaits arrangements for longer term medication-assisted treatment. But, unfortunately, there are several burdensome restrictions tied to this authority. For example, there is a limitation that not more than 1 day's medication be given to a patient at one time, forcing the repeated return to the emergency room. Mr. Speaker, in testimony before the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Dr. Shawn Ryan, an emergency physician and addiction medicine specialist, cited the burden for a patient having to return to the emergency room after an initial visit, particularly for patients with substance use disorder. He stated that transportation can be an issue for these patients but also that repeat visits can be a burden for the emergency departments. This bill would direct the Drug Enforcement Administration to update regulations to allow a practitioner to dispense up to 3 days' supply of buprenorphine. This will give patients and families a better opportunity to get connected to adequate treatment on the road to recovery. Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague, Representative Ruiz, a member of our committee, and his staff for leading this bill. I also thank Ranking Member Walden and his staff for working with us to move this bill forward. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation that will help more substance use disorder patients access the treatment they need, and I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Washington, DC, November 16, 2020. Hon. Jerrold Nadler, Chair, Committee on Judiciary, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Nadler: Thank you for consulting with the Committee on Energy and Commerce and agreeing to be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2281, the Easy MAT for Opioid Addiction Act, so that the bill may proceed expeditiously to the House floor. I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of your committee or prejudice its jurisdictional prerogatives on this measure or similar legislation in the future. I would support your effort to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees from your committee to any House-Senate conference on this legislation. I will seek to place our letters on H.R. 2281 into the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward to continuing to work together as this measure moves through the legislative process. Sincerely, Frank Pallone, Jr., Chairman.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2281) to direct the Attorney General to amend certain regulations so that practitioners may administer not more than 3 days' medication to a person at one time when administering narcotic drugs for the purpose of relieving acute withdrawal symptoms, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4812.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 6096.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 6096, the Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement Act of 2020, or the READI Act, as it is known. In times of crisis, Americans rely on communication systems to stay informed, check on loved ones, and access emergency assistance. Emergency alerts, in particular, are an effective mechanism for relaying lifesaving information to the American public in an instant. The emergency alert system, or EAS, is one tool we have to issue such messages. Typically, an EAS message is originated by officials from local, State, Tribal, or Federal governments, known as alerting authorities. The messages are disseminated to the public by operators of broadcast cable and satellite TV or radio. The Wireless Emergency Alert system, or WEA, on the other hand, allows emergency managers and other alert originators to distribute geographically targeted emergency messages to wireless customers' devices at a moment's notice. Over recent months, Madam Speaker, local and State officials in California and Oregon have used geo-targeted emergency alerts to inform residents about wildfires and evacuation orders. Simply put, our emergency alerting systems save lives, but there is plenty of room for improvement. My colleagues may recall an incident that took place in Hawaii in January 2018 when the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency mistakenly issued an emergency alert through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System. The alert warned the public of an inbound ballistic missile threat, although there was no such threat. It was intended to be a routine test of the system, but the supervising officer who dictated the language of the drill mistakenly included the phrase, ``This is not a drill,'' causing confusion among the shift officers responsible for transmitting the alert to the public. With five words, Hawaii was sent into a frenzy, which lasted about 38 minutes, until a follow-up notice was sent out correcting the error. Now, there are more than 1,000 alerting authorities across the United States that rely on emergency alerting systems to notify the public of everything from law enforcement situations to evacuation and stay-at- home orders, child abductions, and natural disasters. While the Hawaii incident was deemed an accident caused by human error, it is clear that there are gaps that must be addressed, and that is what this bill does. The READI Act will ensure that there is better coordination between the Federal agencies that deal with emergency communications and their partners at the State and local levels. Specifically, the bill calls on the Federal Communications Commission to work with State Emergency Communications Committees to develop and update State plans to identify and close any gaps in protocol or accountability. The READI Act also requires the FCC to study and report to Congress on the feasibility of expanding participation in the Emergency Alert System to include streaming services and internet platforms and whether such an action would increase the reach and reliability of emergency alerts. Madam Speaker, I commend Representative Jerry McNerney for his leadership on this bill, especially as his constituents and neighbors all across California continue to grapple with the fallout from these historic wildfires. Madam Speaker, I also thank Ranking Member Walden and subcommittee Ranking Member Latta for working with us to move this legislation through the Energy and Commerce Committee on a bipartisan basis. Finally, Madam Speaker, I also thank Senator Schatz, who is leading this legislation in the Senate. This is a really good bill that will make emergency alerts more effective and reliable, to keep our friends and neighbors safe when it matters most. Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support the READI Act, and I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Washington, DC, November 10, 2020. Hon. Frank Pallone, Jr., Chairman, Committee on Energy & Commerce, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Pallone: I write concerning H.R. 6096, the READI Act. There are certain provisions in this legislation that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. In order to expedite floor consideration of H.R. 6096, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure agrees to forgo action on the bill. However, this is conditional on our mutual understanding that forgoing consideration of the bill would not prejudice the Committee with respect to the appointment of conferees or to any future jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or similar legislation that fall within the Committee's Rule X jurisdiction. I also request that you urge the Speaker to name members of this Committee to any conference committee which is named to consider such provisions. Please place a copy of this letter and your response acknowledging our jurisdictional interest into the committee report on H.R. 6096 and into the Congressional Record during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Sincerely, Peter DeFazio, Chair.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2610.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 2610, the Fraud and Scam Reduction Act. This bipartisan bill was introduced by Representatives Blunt Rochester and Walberg and advanced out of the Energy and Commerce Committee by a voice vote. Reducing scams and fraud is an issue of utmost importance in every community, and especially so during these uncertain and unprecedented times. Right now, we are, fortunately, seeing the best of humanity, but unscrupulous scammers and fraudsters still abound seeking to capitalize on confusion and fear. Seniors, Mr. Speaker, are especially vulnerable. According to the most recent report from the Federal Trade Commission, older adults reported nearly $400 million in losses from fraud in 2018. It is rare to recover these losses. We all need to work together to protect senior citizens from scams before they fall victim and suffer these monetary losses. This bill, originally titled the Stop Senior Scams Act, establishes a new Senior Scams Prevention Advisory Council composed of relevant government agencies and industry representatives to collect and implement best practices to stop scammers before they can cause harm. It establishes a new program to prevent fraud that targets seniors. The bill will also improve educational materials on senior scams and make sure they are publicly available. I want to thank Representatives Deutch and Buchanan for introducing the Seniors Fraud Prevention Act which was incorporated in H.R. 2610 during the full committee's consideration of the bill. That legislation establishes an office at the FTC dedicated to preventing fraud targeting seniors and monitoring the market for such fraud. This bill also includes the Protecting Seniors from Emergency Scams Act which was introduced by Representatives Kelly and Marshall. This bill streamlines efforts to protect seniors from falling prey to scams during national emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, by establishing a searchable database of scams targeting seniors. One often overlooked area in Federal fraud prevention efforts are scams targeting Indian Tribes and Tribal members. The scope and scale of scams affecting Indian Tribes has not been well-documented, hindering efforts to prevent them. So I also want to thank Representative Lujan--soon Governor Lujan--and also Representative Gianforte for their work on this issue and for introducing the Protecting Indian Tribes from Scams Act, which was also incorporated in this bill, H.R. 2610. The legislation that they sponsored requires the FTC to issue a report on scams targeting Indian Tribes or Tribal members and update its website to include information on these scams. In addition, our State attorneys general play a critical role in enforcing and complementing Federal consumer protection laws. The FTC Collaboration Act, introduced by Representatives O'Halleran and Hudson and incorporated also into this bill, will help the FTC optimize its collaboration with States attorneys general by studying the matter and issuing a report on how to further promote collaboration. So I want to commend Representatives Blunt Rochester and Walberg for introducing this bipartisan legislation, as well as all of the other lead sponsors of the bills that were folded into this larger legislative package. I also want to thank Ranking Member Walden and subcommittee Ranking Member Rodgers for working with us to move this bill through the Energy and Commerce Committee on a bipartisan basis. As you can see, Mr. Speaker, this bill incorporates a number of important pieces of legislation. For all those reasons, I ask my colleagues to support the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6435) to direct the Federal Trade Commission to develop and disseminate information to the public about scams related to COVID-19, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 6435.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), the chair of the subcommittee.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 4499, the NIMHD Research Endowment Revitalization Act of 2020. This bill authorizes the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, or NIMHD, to facilitate research on minority health disparities through research endowments at current or former Centers of Excellence. The NIMHD Research Endowment Program was established by the Minority Health and Disparities Research and Education Act of 2000. By supporting the endowments of certain academic institutions, the program promotes minority health and health disparities research capacity, increases the diversity of the scientific workforce, and enhances the recruitment and retention of underrepresented individuals in science. Congress expanded the eligibility of the program to include institutions of higher education with an active NIMHD Center of Excellence, and this expansion inadvertently resulted in schools such as Morehouse School of Medicine, Georgia State University, and Morgan State University being ineligible. As our Nation continues to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an even more urgent need to support additional research into minority health and health disparities, and to bolster the recruitment and retention of underrepresented individuals in science. Mr. Speaker, I commend the lead sponsors, Representatives Barragan, Carter, and the late John Lewis, and their staffs, for their work on this legislation. I also thank the Democratic and Republican members of our committee, as well as bipartisan committee staff, for working together to move this bill. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4499, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional Members who would like to speak on the bill, and so I urge support for the legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I believe we have a speaker on the other side, so I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5668) to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to modernize the labeling of certain generic drugs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5668.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5668, the MODERN Labeling Act. Prescription drug labels contain the most authoritative drug-related information available to prescribers. These labels let prescribers know about approved uses for a drug and important patient safety information. However, over time, labels can become outdated as more information becomes known about a drug, but a manufacturer may not update the label with the Food and Drug Administration to identify new uses for drugs. This is especially likely to happen with some older generic drugs where there may be commonly accepted off-label uses but no FDA-sanctioned method of communicating those safe uses. In some cases, a generic drug may have an outdated label due to a loophole in the law. Under this loophole, if a listed brand drug leaves the market while a generic competitor remains, there is no way for the generic drug to update its label with approved new uses. This is because generic drugs must maintain the same drug information on their labels as their branded counterparts, even when their branded counterpart has left the market. This bipartisan legislation, Mr. Speaker, would fix this problem. H.R. 5668 would allow FDA to identify drugs that have out-of-date labels and pursue revised labeling, allowing new uses and new indications to be listed. This will allow FDA and generic drug manufacturers to ensure that drug labels, the most trusted source of drug use information, include the best information available. Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that both brand and generic manufacturers have the responsibility to work with FDA to update drug safety information that becomes known and that does not change under this bill. Amendments adopted through our committee process ensure that, when a manufacturer needs to update a label solely with new safety information, manufacturers and FDA must pursue such changes through the current process. Drug safety is paramount, and we want patients to have certainty that they will have up-to-date safety information. As Dr. Jeff Allen from the Friends of Cancer Research said at our hearing on this bill: ``Preserving the accuracy and reliability of labeling may be viewed as tantamount to preserving trust in and the relevance of the drug approval system.'' And I cannot agree more, Mr. Speaker. Maintaining our trust in the FDA approval process is critical, and this bill will help strengthen the system. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Dean), who is the sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, I urge passage of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2466.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2466, the State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act of 2020. While the coronavirus pandemic is at the forefront of our minds, the opioid epidemic and evolving drug crisis also continues to be a public health emergency that we must also address. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 750,000 Americans have died since 1999 from a drug overdose, and in 2018 two out of three drug overdose deaths involved an opioid. Recent data from the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicates that over 20 million Americans have a substance use disorder and, unfortunately, only a fraction of those Americans receive the care they need. Building upon congressional efforts like the 21st Century Cures Act and the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, this bill would authorize the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, State Opioid Response, SOR, grant program and align the authorization with authorities in the 21st Century Cures Act to meet the current needs of States. Assistant Secretary for Health, Admiral Brett Giroir, testified before our committee, Mr. Speaker, that SAMHSA's SOR grants provide a high degree of flexibility to States working to combat the drug epidemic. The SAMHSA SOR grant program has been funded through appropriations legislation since fiscal year 2018, but it does not have a statutory authorization. With this bill, we are ensuring that both the Federal support and flexibility continue into the future. Currently, SOR grants help communities tackle the drug crisis by reducing barriers to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, effectively chipping away at the treatment gap. The grants aid in reducing drug overdose-related deaths by supporting prevention and recovery activities across the States. This program also supports evidence-based prevention, treatment, and recovery support services to address stimulant misuse and use disorders, which is a growing issue, also, in many regions of the country. So I commend the lead sponsors of this legislation, Representatives Trone, Armstrong, Sherrill, and Riggleman, and their staffs for their tireless work on this bill. I also thank the Democratic and Republican members of the committee, as well as bipartisan committee staff, for working together to move this bill. I hope that the Senate will act on this legislation sooner rather than later. Mr. Speaker, the drug crisis continues to affect all walks of life. They are our friends, our family, and our neighbors. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Trone), who is the sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I also urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui), the sponsor of the legislation.