Substance Use-Disorder Prevention That Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to speak on three very important topics: first, today's celebration of Constitution Day; second, the signing of the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill Act; and finally, tonight's vote on the Opioid Crisis Response Act. Constitution Day

Mr. President, today marks 231 years since the Founding Fathers signed a charter that would forever alter the course of human history: the U.S. Constitution. This document serves as the foundation of our government, and we rightly celebrate its anniversary each year with Constitution Day.

The Constitution establishes guiding principles that have served the American people very well. The separation of powers, the rule of law, and our system of federalism work together toward the goal of preserving liberty. They have worked to secure individual rights against encroachment by the government.

The Framers of the Constitution recognized that the government derived its power from the people themselves. The Constitution overturned the prevailing wisdom that men are made for governments, declaring instead that governments are made for men. These principles and our Nation's dedication to them are core to our American ethos. Today, they set our country apart as a symbol of freedom and prosperity across the globe.

The Constitution is the culmination of centuries of human progress. We have a charge to fulfill its promises. We have a duty to uphold its principles. May we commit ourselves today and every day to defending the truths so eloquently and essentially articulated in the Constitution of our United States. Senator Wyden and I introduced the bill on a bipartisan and bicameral basis, and it passed unanimously--a great example of how both parties feel about relieving Americans from the burdens of job-killing tariffs.

The Miscellaneous Tariff Bill was designed to help both importers and producers by suspending or reducing burdensome tariffs that unnecessarily increase manufacturing and operating costs for American companies. A Miscellaneous Tariff Bill has not been enacted since 2010, and our businesses and manufacturers have been forced to wait too long for Congress to act.

I am pleased that we were finally able to end that wait. I am also pleased to report that this is the first MTB, or Miscellaneous Tariff Bill, to be enacted in the new process set out in the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016. This new process was crafted to provide a robust consultation that is consistent with both House and Senate rules and that would be transparent and open to all.

The International Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce vetted each petition to determine eligibility based on this new criteria. Each of these agencies made great efforts to evaluate each one of the thousands of petitions against the high standards set out in the AMCA. I would like to thank all of the staff that worked diligently to do so.

Senator Wyden and I also worked closely with our colleagues throughout this entire process to resolve any concerns that they may have had with any of the included products. In the end, I think we crafted a bill that we all can be proud of because it will help American businesses compete around the world.

The passage of the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill Act, in conjunction with the successful implementation of tax reform, will continue to expand the American workforce, improve the American economy, and keep America competitive. Opioid Epidemic

Finally, Mr. President, I am also here to talk about the passage of an incredibly important bill that will aid individuals, families, and communities confronting an epidemic that is overwhelming our country. This is not the first time I have been talking about the opioid epidemic, and, unfortunately, it will not be my last. But I am happy to say that today's remarks will highlight some very good news.

As part of a coordinated effort with four other committees, the Senate Finance Committee's package will be voted on tonight as a part of the Opioid Crisis Response Act, but before I get to what is in that bill, I want to give some details of the unfortunate reality our country is facing.

Last year, more than 72,000 Americans died from a drug overdose. The majority of these overdoses involved prescription opioids or illicit opioids like heroin or fentanyl. I have spoken to many families who have witnessed the devastating effects of these addictions firsthand, and I have been sadly impressed by the pervasiveness of this rampant epidemic. Truly, I promise you that you have more friends, family, and coworkers who have been affected by this epidemic than you probably realize.

My home State of Utah continues to be hard hit by this crisis. An alarming number of Utahns have undergone hospital stays and emergency room visits due to opioid overdoses. In 2017 alone, over 450 Utahns died from an opioid overdose.

As the Presiding Officer may have noticed, Congress has recognized this problem for some time. While this package is a significant step forward, it isn't the first thing we have done, nor will it be the last thing we do.

Take, for example, the bipartisan Family First Prevention Services Act, which was enacted earlier this year in February. Our committee also worked together to realize a 10-year extension of the Children's Health Insurance Program, which, as a part of its mission, helps moms, babies, children, and teenagers struggling with addiction or its impacts on families across the country.

Our work did not stop there. We proceeded to work on ways that our committee, with its jurisdiction over Medicaid and Medicare, family services, and customs, could work to improve the lives of the millions of Americans who have been impacted by this devastating epidemic.

There are simply too many pieces of this bill to cover them all in one speech, but I wish to give some highlights. The bill will make a real difference in Medicare, a program in which one in three beneficiaries is prescribed an opioid. It will empower patients through information on pain treatment alternatives. It will expand treatment options for patients suffering from addiction, including through increased access to care via telehealth and a pilot program that will allow Medicare to cover methadone and wraparound services to treat addiction for the first time. The bill also increases the ability to track opioid prescriptions to prevent misuse and diversion, while also ensuring that beneficiaries promptly get the medications they need.

We know that many children are in foster care as a result of the opioid epidemic, and this bill supports programs that will help parents complete treatment for opioid addiction and reunite with their children more quickly. It will also increase the availability of family residential treatment programs, allowing more parents to receive help while still caring for their children in a supervised setting.

For the first time since Medicaid became law in 1965, pregnant women can receive Medicaid coverage for prenatal and postnatal care while seeking treatment at institutions for mental disease. New and improved prescription-drug monitoring programs allow States to better understand the full scope of an individual's prescription use across payments and insurers. This bill brings that data into the hands of providers and insurance plans to help them develop care plans for those with substance use disorders.

Additionally, this package is not limited to fixes in the healthcare space. We also worked with Senator Portman to craft the bipartisan STOP Act, which has also been incorporated into this package. That bill sets new requirements for the U.S. Postal Service to obtain advance electronic data that allows for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to effectively target and stop fentanyl and other illegal substances from entering the country through our postal system. Getting our law enforcement this additional data will bolster efforts to stop dangerous opioids at the border and keep them away from American families.

In short, the Finance Committee's portion of this larger effort is an important step forward, but it is made that much more meaningful given the wide-ranging provisions included from the Judiciary, Commerce, Banking, and HELP Committees. Together, this bill will provide the resources, capacities, and direction to State, local, and Federal Governments to better assist those who are in such great need right now.

Additionally, I thank the leader, the chairman, the ranking members, and all other Members of the four other committees who have been involved in this great undertaking. There has been no shortage of effort or genuine concern from both sides of the aisle to address this painful issue that has hurt so many American families. I appreciate this bipartisan push to create a successful piece of legislation. I think this bill represents Congress at its best.

I encourage all of my friends, on both sides of the aisle, to vote for this important piece of legislation tonight, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to advance a bill that addresses the opioid epidemic to the President's desk.

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