Greg Walden

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, one of the best ways we can fight the opioid crisis is by decreasing diversion of prescription drugs. This bill does just that, giving hospice employees new tools to dispose of unused medications on-site after a patient's death. During the committee process, several thoughtful amendments were offered to perfect this language. For example, one clarified that the training will be conducted by the hospice program, not the Federal Government. Another added a recordkeeping standard for hospice programs to maintain information within patients' clinical charts of the controlled substance dosage, number of pills, and the way it is disposed of. And finally, a technical amendment incorporated comments from the DEA. Of note, there is one final technical correction incorporated into the suspension document, which clarifies that hospice employees may handle these unused controlled substances. This specification, obviously, improves the bill. In closing, Michigan Representative Tim Walberg and Representative Debbie Dingell should be commended for, once again, their bipartisan and thoughtful work on this legislation. They worked tirelessly to forge an inclusive process, incorporating input from people in Michigan, hospice groups across the country, the agencies who will oversee this program, and others. Even more, their staff showed real initiative and reason as we put this together. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg), my colleague, to discuss this legislation.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers on this matter, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5041) to amend the Controlled Substances Act to authorize the employees of a hospice program to handle controlled substances in the residence of a deceased hospice patient to assist in disposal, as amended.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for H.R. 5102. This is the Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Act. It is legislation that would create a loan repayment program for substance use disorder treatment providers. Serious workforce shortages exist for all health professions across the United States. We know that. But a delay in addiction treatment for a patient with substance use disorder can be a life-or-death situation. By offering student loan repayment for those who agree to work as a substance use disorder treatment professional in an underserved area, this bill encourages more people to enter the substance use disorder treatment field and get critical services to areas that are seriously in dire need of treatment. I would like to thank my colleagues, Representatives Katherine Clark, Hal Rogers, John Sarbanes, and Brett Guthrie, for leading this important initiative. It is brought to you from your Energy and Commerce Committee with a unanimous vote. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to commend the gentleman for bringing this to our attention with his colleagues. That was part of what we did back on Member Day. I think it was in October. We had 50 Members. I don't recall specifically whether Mr. Pascrell brought it to us there or some other time, but we are taking these real-life experiences from our districts, the things that work, and saying: This works. We know it works. It works in our hospital. It works in our town, and we are saying it can work nationwide. We are taking ideas, like my friend from New Jersey has brought, Mr. Speaker, to our committee and now to this House floor. We are saying, let's apply this nationwide. Together, we can overcome this epidemic. We must overcome this epidemic. It is in our ability to do this. Mr. Speaker, I just say to the gentleman and my friend that we are not done, just as we weren't done 2 years ago when we modernized America's mental health laws. At that point, Mr. Murphy of Pennsylvania was here and gave us great counsel about how to do that. We put money in to deal with opioids then, that and 21st Century Cures that Mr. Upton and Ms. DeGette helped lead the effort on. I know at NIH they are working day and night, as they are in other institutions, to find a nonaddictive pain management medicine. We wish them Godspeed in that effort, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I again thank my friend from New Jersey for bringing this to us. This is the kind of legislation that will save lives, prevent tragedy. We are going to get it passed here in a bipartisan, unanimous way, I do believe, in a matter of seconds. Mr. Speaker, I urge my Members to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for H.R. 5009. This is known as Jessie's Law, and it is written in memory of Michigan resident Jessie Grubb, who tragically died of an opioid overdose in 2016. This legislation will help ensure medical professionals have access to a consenting patient's complete health information when making treatment decisions. This is critical to ensure that mistakes, such as the one that tragically happened to Jessie Grubb, never ever, ever happen again. This bill also incorporates the language of H.R. 5695, known as Emmett's Law, which would require the Department of Health and Human Services to develop best practices for healthcare providers on permitted disclosures of medical records during emergencies with families, caregivers, and other healthcare providers. I thank my colleagues from Michigan, Representatives Tim Walberg and Debbie Dingell, for leading this important initiative, along with the collaboration and support of Representatives Evan Jenkins, Carol Shea- Porter, Tom MacArthur, Vicky Hartzler, Bob Latta, and David McKinley. They have all put a lot of time and effort into this to solve a problem many of us have encountered in our States and our districts. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg), an author of this incredibly important piece of legislation.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5009) to include information concerning a patient's opioid addiction in certain medical records, as amended.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation. I thank the Members from Michigan who brought it to our attention, and worked with the full Energy and Commerce Committee in bringing it to your disposal here on the floor. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5583) to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require States to annually report on certain adult health quality measures, and for other purposes.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), an incredibly important member of our committee.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I urge the same, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5272) to ensure that programs and activities that are funded by a grant, cooperative agreement, loan, or loan guarantee from the Department of Health and Human Services, and whose purpose is to prevent or treat a mental health or substance use disorder, are evidence-based, as amended.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the two World War II veterans and twenty-three Korean War veterans from Oregon who are visiting their memorials on the National Mall on Friday, June 8, 2018, through Honor Flight of Central Oregon. Every time I have the chance to meet one of these heroes, I am reminded of the poignant words of General Dwight D. Eisenhower. In a message to Allied troops just before D-Day, he said, ``The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.'' He was right then, of course, Mr. Speaker. But over seventy years later, liberty-loving people everywhere continue to owe these heroes for their extraordinary service and their incredible stories of sacrifice and bravery on behalf of our country. That's why it is my privilege to include their names in the Record. The veterans on this Honor Flight from Oregon are as follows: Bill Apgar, Air Force; Bill Jensen, Air Force; Donald Tuter, Air Force; Jim Roppe, Air Force; John Giles, Air Force; Robert Huntington Sr., Air Force; Robert Wolverton Sr., Air Force; Larry Rose, Air Force; Alexander McKenzie, Army; Denny Kane, Army; Fred Hasenoehrl, Army; Jack Donnelly, Army; Lanny Jones, Army; Lester Davis, Army; Michael Craig, Army; Neil Chase, Army; Paul Knox, Army; Ray Davis, Army; Wallace Smith, Army; Arthur Egren Jr., Marine Corps; John Meyer, Marine Corps; Frankie Bowne, Navy; Jim Prentice, Navy; Leonard Zierlin, Navy; and Paul LaFrance, Navy. These twenty-five heroes join over 200,000 veterans who have been honored through the Honor Flight Network of volunteers nationwide since 2005. I would also like to recognize the ten guardians traveling on this trip who have also served our country: Fred Beebee, Air Force; Mike Woods, Air Force; Russell Tuter, Air Force; Christine Gittins, Army; Dennis Dorsett, Army; Lee Thorsell, Army; Dane Prevatt, Marine Corps; Duane Wolf, Marine Corps; Clint McAuliffe, Navy; and Jeff Mackey, Navy. Mr. Speaker, at the height of the Civil War in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln wrote, ``Honor to the Soldier, and Sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country's cause.'' Each of us in this chamber and in this nation should be humbled by the courage of these brave veterans who put themselves in harm's way for our country and way of life. As a nation, we can never fully repay the debt of gratitude owed to them for their honor, commitment, and sacrifice in defense of the freedoms we have today. My colleagues, please join me in thanking these veterans and the volunteers of Honor Flight of Central Oregon for their exemplary dedication and service to this great country.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I was in small business for 21 years. My wife and I were small-business owners and operators and had to meet a bottom line and pay the bills and all. I know our Speaker was in the accounting world. To me, this is basic accounting and a small business sort of set of principles. You have money there that can't be spent because it is no longer authorized to be spent. Much of it is being just accumulated. And then somebody comes in the backdoor and maybe tries to grab a little here and there and spend it on things it is not authorized for or whatever. But the long and the short of it is that I can speak specifically to the Children's Health Insurance Program, because I have been a big advocate for it. I have voted for it every time it has been up. As chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I led the effort to not only fully fund children's health insurance for 5 years, but then we were able to do it for 6 years. And, at the end, the package that was sent down to President Trump that he signed into law fully funded children's health insurance for 10 years. That is double the length of time that had ever been done before. In my own State, that is 122,700 children and moms who are going to get coverage for health insurance. There is now certainty in this program, more than in its entire history--double the certainty. So that resulted in some funds that were left behind that have been used when we get up against these cliffs and States maybe had overpayments here or there. They needed all this sort of emergency funding, and then there were some other programs, none of which is needed now because we brought certainty to the Children's Health Insurance Program, the longest extension in its history--10 years. So the authority to use some of these funds expired last year. The authority expired last year. You can't spend it. The remainder of these funds simply aren't necessary, and they sit unused in a contingency fund that has an ample balance. There has been a question about would this affect enrollment, would this affect beneficiaries. We asked the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that question, and they said, ``CBO estimates that rescinding the unobligated balances would reduce the budget authority by $7 billion but would not affect outlays or the number of individuals with insurance coverage.'' They also say that it does not affect what happens with the States. That is because we did our work. We did our work. Republicans led on this issue time and again. And it is now law. So the Children's Health Insurance Program is fully funded, and kids will have access to insurance and other coverage that extends 10 years. So what we are doing here is taking surplus money that can't be spent on these programs anymore and is not authorized to be spent on these programs anymore and applying it toward deficit reduction. The lifeline remains strong under this rescissions program. This is just good business practices, and I think it is really important to do. By the way, the other Republican proposals we have passed in this House have resulted in one of the strongest economies in modern history and 1 million new jobs since the tax cuts took effect. Mr. Speaker, this is a good process. This is fiscally responsible. I urge passage.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I would thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and our staffs, who worked so hard on this legislation. I rise to offer my strong support for S. 292, the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research Act of 2018, simply known as the Childhood Cancer STAR Act. The House version of this important legislation was spearheaded by several, including my colleague Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. I would like to thank the gentleman for his leadership on this bipartisan initiative. Being told your child has cancer is probably every parent's worst nightmare. Even though childhood cancer is rare, it is still the second leading cause of death in children aged 1 to 14. In the last Congress we passed the 21st Century Cures Act. This landmark legislation modernized the Nation's biomedical and innovation infrastructure, and it streamlined the process for how drugs and medical devices are approved so we can get new treatments to patients faster. And we have invested heavily in the National Institutes of Health through the appropriations process--then and now--recently increasing their budget by $3 billion in the 2018 spending bill, which I supported. The STAR Act builds on these investments and expands the reach of the 21st Century Cures legislation by focusing critical resources to advance both research and treatments for pediatric cancer. By reauthorizing and modifying the National Childhood Cancer Registry; supporting childhood cancer biorepositories; improving the tracking of cancer in children, adolescents, and young adults; and supporting efforts to improve the pediatric cancer survivorship care, the STAR Act will improve both treatment of children currently battling cancer and the quality of life for the young survivors who have beaten this terrible disease. So I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. This is good work we are doing here today in a bipartisan way in the United States House of Representatives. We will save lives. We will help families. Especially, we will help these children who are suffering mightily.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, today represents the third time this year that the House has considered legislation to deliver hope to patients who are battling terminal diseases. Twice already, a bipartisan majority of Members has supported increasing patient access to investigational drugs through a new pathway outside of the existing expanded access program, and the bill before us today is deserving of that same support. Thirty-nine States have right-to-try laws, including my home State of Oregon. While the State policies vary, they have a common goal: helping vulnerable patients. President Trump praised the movement during the State of the Union. He said: ``People who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to country to seek a cure. I want to give them a chance here at home.'' Those are the President's words. Since this time, he has continued to feverishly advocate for this legislation. For today's debate, I believe it is important to understand that it is both the background of this issue as well as the politics that have brought us back to this floor. Today, there is an existing process for patients to access unapproved drugs. The FDA oversees the expanded access program, commonly known as compassionate use. This program has been critical in helping patients access experimental or investigative drugs. As I previously said before in this Chamber, Commissioner Gottlieb and the agency should be commended for their continued work to improve the expanded access program for patients. To improve this successful program, the bill this Chamber previously passed provides liability protections for manufacturers, sponsors, physicians, clinical investigators, and hospitals that participate in the existing expanded access program and the new alternative pathway created under the legislation. That provision removes one of the biggest hurdles patients face, as identified by the Government Accountability Office, in gaining access to experimental therapies: manufacturer hesitancy to participate. That is the obstacle. That same bill creates a new alternative pathway for patients who do not qualify for a clinical trial. It is my view that the House-passed bill strengthens patient protections with clearer informed consent and adverse event reporting. The bill also ensures that the FDA is notified when a patient receives an unapproved drug through the new alternative pathway to ensure proper oversight. But when a strong bipartisan majority of this Chamber, of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mr. Speaker, delivered for patients and answered President Trump's call to give Americans the right to try, leaders in the Senate on the other side of the aisle objected, blocking terminally ill patients from increasing access to investigational drugs. But we will not allow them to play politics to delay this effort any longer. That is why we are here today. Mr. Speaker, across our great country, men, women, children, and parents are desperately seeking a beacon of hope, and the Senate bill we have before us today will provide it. Mr. Speaker, I thank President Trump and Vice President Pence for continuing to weigh in on this important issue; and the sponsors of past and current legislation, including Senator Johnson and Representatives Fitzpatrick and Biggs, who are here with us today. They have all been tireless in their advocacy and their efforts for this worthy cause. I am glad to see that, together, we are once again going to deliver. But, most importantly, I would like to acknowledge the individuals this bill is named after: Trickett, Frank, Jordan, and Matthew. Jordan was here on the House floor the first time we considered right-to-try legislation, and Matthew testified at our hearing last fall. Jordan is back with us today. It is through their advocacy and hope to find a treatment or a cure that we have this chance to give patients the right to try. Mr. Speaker, it is time for the House to do what the entire United States Senate did and pass this legislation. It is time to send a right-to-try bill to President Trump's desk, where he is eager to sign it. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule and the good work that was done there and the VA MISSION Act, which improves access to care for our veterans, funds the Choice Program, and expands the caregivers program for pre-9/11 veterans. I would like to thank the chairman and ranking member for their work on this important legislation. I would particularly like to applaud the inclusion of the VA Medical Scribes Pilot Act. This was legislation that I helped write with Chairman Roe to set up a pilot program for including scribes in primary care teams at the VA. Research in the private sector has shown that allowing scribes to handle electronic health records allows the healthcare providers, the doctors, to do more of what they do best, which is to treat the patients. So we have doctors treating patients rather than spending their valuable time doing paperwork. Chairman Roe joined me in my district last fall on a tour of the VA clinic in White City, Oregon, where we heard firsthand about the administrative challenges the VA doctors face and how that affects their ability to care for veterans. The underlying bill that we will bring to the floor will help. The entire bill will help. This will help our docs have more time to spend with their patients. We will continue to work with the VA on their implementation of this program, but I am pleased that it was included in the underlying legislation, Mr. Speaker. Once again, I applaud the entire Veterans Affairs Committee on their work to give veterans the access to healthcare they have earned and deserve. I urge support and passage of the underlying VA MISSION Act and approval of the rule.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, during National Police Week, I would ask all Members to honor the service and sacrifice of those law enforcement officials who have protected our communities and safeguarded our democracy. Police Week is an opportunity for all Americans to express their appreciation for our law enforcement. Every day, federal, state, and local law enforcement officers in Oregon and around the country protect their fellow citizens from harm, keep the peace, and carry out justice. Today, I would like to honor Sergeant John Lawrence. He began his career with the Deschutes County Sheriffs Office and later served with the Bend Police Department for 10 years. Tragically, Sergeant Lawrence suffered a fatal heart attack following a shift where he responded to a bank holdup alarm. He was just 43 years old when he passed away. He will be remembered as a dedicated officer, a steadfast friend, and a loving husband and father. His service will be memorialized later this week when his name joins more than 21,000 fellow officers as part of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. This week we mourn for the officers we have lost, and stand together in tribute of their service. We must express our sincerest gratitude and appreciation to Sergeant Lawrence's family. His sacrifice will not be forgotten. I am thankful for the service and diligence of law enforcement officers in Oregon's Second District and around the country. Please join me in honoring their service in defense of our freedom and democracy.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Chairman, first of all, I want to thank the chairman on the Subcommittee on Environment, Mr. Shimkus, whose, I think, life's work is on the floor today in many respects. Nobody has been more tenacious in this effort to get permanent, safe, and secure nuclear waste storage for America than John Shimkus, and so I thank Mr. Shimkus for his good work there. The bill we are considering today reinforces the promise that the United States Congress, on behalf of the Federal Government, made to our constituents a generation ago. Today, we are keeping that promise. We will accept responsibility for and properly dispose of radioactive waste. This is long overdue. Americans across the country, from Maine to southern California, from Florida to the Pacific Northwest, are watching today, and they are expecting us to act. The Department of Energy's Hanford site is just up the mighty Columbia River from where I live and where I grew up. That area and those workers helped us win World War II, and the site's nuclear program was instrumental in projecting peace through strength throughout the Cold War. While the community has been a constructive partner in support of our vital national security missions, it did not agree to serve as a perpetual storage site for the resulting nuclear waste. Fifty-six million gallons of toxic waste sitting in decades-old metal tanks at Hanford--these are those tanks that were being constructed to hold this waste. They are now buried in the ground. The only entry point is right here. The amount of waste stored at Hanford would fill this entire House Chamber 20 times over. According to a recent Government Accountability Office report, the oldest of these tanks, some of which date back to the 1940s, have single-layer walls or shells. They were built to last 20 years. They will be almost 100 years old by the estimated end of their waste treatment. The Department of Energy has reported that 67 of these tanks are assumed or known to have leaked waste into the soil. There is an understandable sense of urgency in the Northwest behind the cleanup efforts that are under way at Hanford. H.R. 3053 will provide the pathway to clean up the contaminated Hanford site. You see, the waste from Hanford will end up in a secure permanent storage site that we believe will be Yucca Mountain. These tanks will be drained and cleaned out, the waste classified and put away. This bill keeps our commitment to energy consumers, too, who are legally bound to pay for a nuclear waste management program. These consumers in 34 States, including Oregon, have paid the Federal Government in excess of $40 billion. Even after the last administration stalled the project, ratepayers continued to hand over nearly $800 million annually to develop the repository, until finally the courts stepped in and directed the fee collection be halted because no repository was being constructed. That money was paid to the U.S. Treasury for a specific purpose. We have a legal and moral obligation to advance the program for which ratepayers paid. Now, my friends in Nevada should have confidence the Yucca Mountain repository will protect public health and the environment. The completion of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's impartial safety review will answer the many questions raised by the State of Nevada and provide an independent determination if the site meets the required 1- million-year environmental protection standard. That is right, 1 million years. Consolidating the Nation's nuclear material for disposal is better for the environment than the status quo, where these materials sit around in 121 communities in 39 States, or tanks like this. The legislation authorizes the Department of Energy to contract with private companies to store nuclear waste while DOE finishes the rigorous scientific analysis of the repository design and the associated Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing process. An interim storage facility can bring added flexibility to DOE's disposal program and may provide a more expeditious near-term pathway to consolidate spent nuclear fuel. The longer the government delays, the greater the potential consequences. The legal cost of inaction, a bill paid by every American taxpayer, is staggering. Today, taxpayers pay an average of $2 million every day--every day--in legal claims because we as a government have not done what was promised decades ago. We are doing that today with this legislation. Cumulatively, we are on the hook for nearly $134 billion. That increases every day we delay action. Instead of contributing to an escalating national debt, this money could be better spent to support our men and women in uniform, deal with the opioid crisis, or a whole myriad of other things. By acting today, we will eventually turn off that penalty phase and start the productive phase. At the end of the day, this bipartisan legislation is good for our communities around the country and their safety. It is good for consumers and fiscal sanity. It is good for the environment for secure storage. It is good for taxpayers, and it is good for national security as well. So I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have put so much work into this--Mr. Tonko and certainly Mr. Shimkus. I urge all our colleagues to support H.R. 3053. Let's put an end to these tanks before they put an end to us.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow; and further, when the House adjourns on that day, it adjourn to meet at 3 p.m. on Monday, April 23, 2018.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Dr. Burgess and appreciate his leadership on this issue and the hard work he and his members on both sides of the aisle have done on the Subcommittee on Health in the Energy and Commerce Committee. As we all know, the opioid crisis is wreaking havoc and death on our Nation. It is striking at the heart of communities from one side of the country to the other. On any given day, you can browse the headlines to learn of yet another life lost to addiction or about a raid that seized overwhelming quantities of prescription painkillers or illicit drugs. At roundtables throughout my district in Oregon over the last few years, I have met with those victims. I have met with their families. I have talked to doctors and treatment advocates. I have met with law enforcement officers on the front lines of this fight. Sadly, their stories are all too similar and all too familiar, but they put the names and faces to this crisis that has touched every community in our country. We are here tonight because this crisis is having a devastating impact on each of our districts and the people who live in them. No community is exempt from the scourge of addiction. Nobody is immune from the dangers of powerful drugs. The crisis has taken a hold on the very fabric of our Nation, and we must do everything we can to stem the tide of addiction, to help those who are addicted, and to stop the deaths and destruction that follow the abuse of opiates. Earlier this week, I visited the Prescribed to Death opioid memorial that was stationed at the White House Ellipse. I was able to see the individual faces of Americans who lost their own battles with opioid addiction etched into the 22,000 pills on display. There was one for each fatal overdose in 2015. It is a daunting visual. It was made only more poignant by the knowledge that those numbers have only continued to climb. More than 100 Americans die from opioid overdoses every single day, claiming the lives of more than 42,000 Americans who died in 2016 alone. That same year, we lost 506 Oregonians from opioid overdoses. The committee--in particular, the Energy and Commerce Committee and your subcommittee, Mr. Chairman--has a long history of working to combat this evolving epidemic, from launching our earliest investigations in 2012 to advancing bipartisan legislation like the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, CARA, and the 21st Century Cures Act. Most recently, we included critical funding to aid in the fight in the recent government spending bill that President Trump signed into law. This legislation included a record amount of resources to combat the crisis, providing billions of dollars to communities across America to tackle one of the biggest public health problems in a generation. But we know that more can and must be done. Now, the good news is that combating the opioid crisis is our committee's top priority. It is why we have reviewed literally dozens and dozens and dozens of comprehensive, bold, and bipartisan pieces of legislation. In total, these bills will bolster our enforcement efforts, will protect our communities, will advance our public health and prevention efforts, and will address coverage and payment issues within Medicaid and Medicare. Tomorrow at the Energy and Commerce Committee, we will hear the personal stories from families affected by the drug crisis and individuals who are battling addiction. Then, next week, the Energy and Commerce Committee will mark these bills up in our Health Subcommittee. It is an important step forward to keep us on track in our goal of having legislation to this House floor ahead of the Memorial Day district work period. We know that there is no silver bullet, there is no one-size-fits-all approach that will remedy the catastrophic effects of this crisis that has been building for the last decade, but much more can be done. We will do much more, and we will do it on a bipartisan basis, to help vulnerable patients get the treatment they want and need, remembering there are some 20 million Americans with chronic pain. And we will ensure these powerful drugs are not getting into the wrong hands. As I conclude, I think it is important to point out that, if people want more information, they can go to energycommerce.house.gov/opioids and see the testimony that we have received and the work that we are engaged in to rid this country of this terrible scourge and make our communities safer again.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the patients, the patients who face terminal diagnoses but have exhausted all available known treatment options. Before us today we have legislation that received 260 bipartisan votes last week; that was nearly 260 votes to increase patient access to investigational drugs through a new pathway. I want to thank Dr. Burgess for his incredible work on our Energy and Commerce Committee to do our due diligence, to take an issue that is important to our citizens and our colleagues and make sure that it has been properly vetted, reviewed, and improved upon from what we got from the Senate. Mr. Speaker, 38 States have right-to-try laws, including my own State of Oregon. This is something that people want and deserve. Wisconsin will make it number 39 once the bill they have passed gets across Governor Scott Walker's desk. While the State policies vary, they have a common goal, and that is helping vulnerable patients. President Trump praised the movement during the State of the Union, saying: ``People who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to country to seek a cure--I want them to have a chance right here at home.'' I have spoken to the President directly about what we are doing here, and he gave me a shout-out when he was up in New Hampshire the other day about moving this bill forward. We worked closely with the Vice President and his team and with Scott Gottlieb, who is the doctor who heads the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration, to get a really good, thoughtful product before this House, and they support what we are doing here. President Trump also highlighted this bill, as I said, when he was in New Hampshire. It is important to note that this isn't the first time we have considered this bill. As you may know, last week, we tried to move this on the suspension calendar, never imaging that the Democrats would actually whip against giving dying patients the right to try one of these drugs. We had 32 Democrats support this legislation, and that is why we brought it back under regular order in a rule today. Now, today, there is an existing process, and you have heard about it--and we looked at this in the committee--for patients to access unapproved drugs. The FDA oversees expanded access, commonly known as compassionate use. This program has been critical in helping patients access experimental drugs. It does work. Commissioner Gottlieb and the agency should be commended for their continued work to improve the expanded access program for patients. As you have heard from my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, this program works, and works effectively, but it doesn't do it all, and that is why this legislation is before us. To improve upon this successful program, the bill before us today provides liability protections for manufacturers, sponsors, physicians, clinical investigators, and hospitals that participate in the existing expanded access program and the new alternative pathway that we create under this legislation. This was a very big issue for those who needed to be brought into participation who otherwise might have sat on the sidelines and never made these drugs available. This provision removes one of the biggest hurdles that patients face and that was identified by the Government Accountability Office; it is the biggest hurdle they face in getting access to experimental therapies: manufacturers' hesitancy to participate. That is the hurdle we are trying to overcome today in a safe way. The bill also creates a new alternative pathway for patients who do not qualify for a clinical trial. This legislation strengthens patient protections with clearer informed consent and adverse event reporting. The bill also ensures the FDA is notified when a patient receives an unapproved drug through the new alternative pathway to ensure proper oversight. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues in the House, and especially Dr. Burgess on the Health Subcommittee, but also Representative Brian Fitzpatrick; Andy Biggs, who is behind me; Morgan Griffith; and our Vice President, Mike Pence. I am grateful for their work and for their understanding that our job here in the House is to do our work: to hear from people who are affected or might be affected, to improve upon products, to go through regular order, and to bring this bill to you today. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues in the House to support this legislation.