Nation's Opioid Epidemic

Floor Speech

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Mr. GUINTA. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Clark for yielding, and I extend my gratitude to her for joining me tonight in this Special Order.

I am also grateful for the opportunity to join bipartisan members-- Republican and Democrat--from around the country to talk about heroin abuse, an increasingly deadly public health crisis.

Last year I joined with my colleague from New Hampshire, Congresswoman Kuster, to create The Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic. We strive to fight the tragedy of opioid addiction and fatal overdose from around the Nation.

Since its creation last October, our task force has grown to 80 members. Our growth and impact is a testament to the depth of the crisis and the focus of the Members of this body.

In my home State of New Hampshire, abuse and overdose claimed the lives of 430 people in 2015. To put that number in perspective, that is 1 out of every 3,000 residents died of an overdose last year. The CDC reports that, nationally, overdose deaths have tripled over the last 10 years.

I am proud of the work we have done so far to combat this epidemic. But as many struggling families and ailing communities know, there is much more work to be done.

A few weeks ago the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic proposed a legislative agenda. Our bills would assist law enforcement, treatment providers, and recovery personnel in their battle against the epidemic.

During this Heroin and Opioid Awareness Week, we will see our legislation come to the floor for a vote. I am pleased that my colleagues have tirelessly worked to protect our loved ones from this epidemic, and I am proud to cosponsor many bills coming to the floor this week, including the House response to the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act.

To address the comprehensive nature of this epidemic, we must provide a comprehensive legislative package to bolster the efforts of those helping our communities.

I have filed several amendments to this package for this week. They will increase grants for medication-assisted treatments and long-term recovery.

I also have filed legislation that would reauthorize recovery court programs for 3 years, and I am grateful that my bill, the Good Samaritan Assessment Act of 2016, passed by suspension in the House earlier today. I hope this provision will be included in the conference report.

Very simply, these provisions are absolutely crucial to aiding those in need. My colleagues and I have committed to seeing the House of Representatives pass the strongest and most comprehensive plan possible.

I believe we will do our due diligence to pass this plan, go to conference with the Senate, and put a bill on the President's desk before June.

Our plan is urgently needed. Nearly 129 people die every day from an opioid overdose. In my district and around the country, I hear from families and friends who know someone coping with substance use disorder.

We will only make a dent in this great challenge by listening to its victims. We need to hear fathers like Doug Griffin of Newton in New Hampshire's First District. His daughter, Courtney, fell victim to heroin abuse at just 20 years old.

Doug remembers Courtney as a bright, lively girl with a great sense of humor and a deep passion for life. She played music. She loved s'mores. Courtney told Doug she planned to become a marine and serve her country.

But 3 years later she was lost on the streets, in and out of rehab facilities. Prescription pills, fentanyl, and street heroin ensnared Courtney into a fatal web of addiction. She lost the will to live.

Because Courtney's pain was so great and because she had so few options for treatment, Doug says he and his family hid the truth from the outside world. To help others, they are speaking out now, just as this body is this evening.

Doug is courageously telling everyone he knows about the warning signs of heroin abuse and the deficiencies in our public response. Millions of Americans share Courtney's story and Doug's anguish. It is only by speaking out and sharing grief that we will remove the stigma preventing far too many from seeking help.

Tonight it is about telling the truth. It is about finding the solutions we need and why we need them. It is about putting political disagreements aside and cooperating for the common good, for the common good not just of our constituents, but our country.

As the House considers this vital legislation, I encourage my colleagues to listen to their constituents, hear their stories, share their struggles, and help them fight back. We could win this public emergency, and it starts this week with the comprehensive CARA legislation.

I thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle for working so judiciously and in a manner that I think puts people ahead of anything else that this body is doing. I commend my colleagues, and I am honored to work with them on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the congresswoman from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts just to the south of my district.

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