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Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5048, the Good Samaritan Assessment Act. This legislation is part of a series of bills the House is considering this week in an effort to address the growing public health crisis in our Nation that is being caused by a surge in heroin use and abuse of other opioid drugs.
Without question, abuse of opioid drugs can have serious long-term effects, including physical and functional changes to the brain affecting impulse, reward, and motivation. But opioid abuse can have a more immediate and serious consequence. An overdose can threaten the life of the victim.
In recent years, heroin and prescription opioid drug overdoses have risen sharply in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdose deaths more than doubled between 1999 and 2014. In 2014 alone, more than 47,000 people died from drug overdoses, the highest of any previous year.
Fortunately, many of these tragic deaths can be prevented through the administration of an opioid reversal drug such as naloxone. But to be effective in saving lives, these drugs must be administered on an emergency basis.
First responders answering emergency calls or caregivers who are treating drug users are frequently in the best position to administer a lifesaving reversal drug in time to be effective.
An overdose victim's family and friends as well as other drug users are often the first people to be aware that an individual is suffering a drug overdose. Nevertheless, these individuals can hesitate or even fail to call 911 out of fear that they may be prosecuted or otherwise held liable if something goes wrong.
Similarly, first responders and other potential caregivers may hesitate or fail to administer emergency medical treatment for fear of possible adverse consequences.
To alleviate such concerns and help ensure that overdose victims receive timely medical treatment, the Office of National Drug Control Policy has been working with States and municipalities to enact so- called Good Samaritan laws.
These laws are intended to protect from civil or criminal liability first responders, caregivers, and others who call for emergency assistance in overdose cases or administer opioid reversal drugs.
Currently, 35 States and the District of Columbia now have at least some form of a Good Samaritan or a 911 drug immunity law, but the protections afforded by these laws vary significantly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
H.R. 5048 directs the Government Accountability Office to study and report to the appropriate committees of Congress on the efforts of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to expand Good Samaritan protections.
In addition, the study would examine any law that exempts from civil or criminal liability individuals who contact emergency service providers in response to a drug overdose or who administer opioid reversal drugs to overdose victims.
The report must also include a compilation of Good Samaritan laws currently in effect. The analysis and data required to be generated by H.R. 5048 will greatly assist Congress in understanding the various policies adopted by the States.
Accordingly, I sincerely urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5048.
Ladies and gentlemen, H.R. 5048 will help to provide valuable information that will assist comprehensive efforts needed to combat the growing scourge of opioid abuse that is affecting millions of Americans and help reduce the tragic loss of life resulting from drug overdoses.
Accordingly, I urge support of the passage of H.R. 5048.
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