Assisting States' Implementation of Plans of Safe Care Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5890) to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide assistance to States in complying with, and implementing, certain provisions of section 106 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act in order to promote better protections for young children and family-centered responses, and for other purposes.

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. 5890.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5890, the Assisting States' Implementation of Plans of Safe Care Act.

In 2016, a staggering 2.1 million Americans experienced an opioid abuse disorder. To put that in perspective, the number of fatalities based on opioid abuse in the most recent year approaches the number 60,000. To put that in perspective, it is nearly sixfold the number of alcohol-related deaths on our highways. It is nearly twofold the number of automotive deaths on our highways. It is, in fact, greater than the number of deaths from automobiles plus nonsuicide-related firearms deaths combined.

What is more troubling is that this number only takes into account those who directly suffered from substance abuse. What it does not take into account are the many people who experienced the secondhand trauma of a loved one struggling with opioid addiction.

One of the greatest tragedies of the opioid epidemic is that thousands of children have been swept up by the current of the epidemic due to the substance abuse of a family member or other adult tasked with caring for them.

The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, CAPTA, recently amended in 2016 by the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, CARA, requires States to implement a plan of safe care to protect the health and safety of young children and promote a family-centered approach to treatment and service delivery. Unfortunately, the requirements included by CARA failed to provide States with substantive guidance and information, which has led to significant confusion and poor implementation of plans of safe care.

States and localities might benefit from written guidance and technical assistance provided by the Department of Health and Human Services as they strive to meet Federal requirements and address the known challenges in their individual plans. Through an enhanced understanding of the requirements, States will be able to better protect the well-being of children and infants when working with families impacted by the trauma related to opioid abuse.

It is clear the opioid epidemic is already multigenerational in nature, as children must confront the pain of an addicted parent or guardian. By strengthening States' responsiveness and plans of safe care, we can help give these children the protection they need while strengthening families for long-term success and stability.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx), the honorable chairwoman.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close if the gentlewoman from Oregon would like to conclude her remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida, as well as the chairwoman from North Carolina and my friend and colleague from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici).

I strongly urge my colleagues of every political stripe to recognize that, perhaps while responsibility is best exercised when taken and not given, we contemplate here the outcomes for so many innocents who are unable to determine their circumstance, that is, indeed, children who are born into this horrific affliction of opioid addiction, and understand that, while one might wax poetic about things like personal responsibility and accountability, the Federal Government does, indeed, have a role to fill a vacuum where the States have not acted in the circumstance wherein those who suffer suffer by virtue of circumstances far, far beyond their control.

I would hope that the Members of this body on both sides would find themselves compelled by the sheer mathematical magnitude of the epidemic that is the opioid crisis--again, one that takes more lives than nonsuicide gun violence and automobile accidents combined, and one that impacts not just those who exercise choices but those impacted by circumstances far beyond their control--with this but a humble step, not a panacea, towards creating a better circumstance wherein all Americans experience something closer to an equal opportunity to prosper.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues across both sides of the political spectrum to vote in favor of H.R. 5890, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5890. The most recent omnibus legislation increased funding for the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, or CAPTA, by $60 million, and this bill would help States improve their support for infants, children, and families suffering from the opioid epidemic by requiring Health and Human Services to provide guidance to States on how to implement effective plans of safe care.

Pregnant women and young mothers can face seemingly insurmountable challenges when struggling with addiction. I think about Tiffany, whom I met in Oregon. She is from Happy Valley, Oregon, and her struggle with addiction began after she was prescribed medication following a C- section for her third child's birth.

After having to send her kids to live with her mom, she was finally able to access treatment and other support services. She is now clean, in recovery, able to care for her kids again, and, importantly, help others.

We must do everything we can to support moms like Tiffany and provide the necessary resources and care to parents and their children so they can have the opportunity to be reunited.

Although I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, it is important to note that CAPTA, even with the $60 million increase, is not fully funded. Only when CAPTA receives the full amount authorized under law will States be able to meet all requirements and adequately address the needs of children exposed to substance abuse.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues, Congressman Garrett and Congresswoman Murphy, for their work on this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Murphy), who is a cosponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Once again, Mr. Speaker, I want to encourage my colleagues to support this important legislation. I want to thank Congressman Garrett and Congresswoman Murphy for their work on the legislation. I also want to thank Chairwoman Foxx for reminding us that we are not just talking about abstract policy. We are talking about real people: men, women, and especially children who are affected by this crisis.

So, again, thank you to the cosponsors of the legislation. I urge its passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the efforts the House is undertaking this week to combat our Nation's opioid crisis. We will consider dozens of bills this week that are aimed at fighting the crisis next door that affects our families, our friends, and our loved ones.

Mr. Speaker, as you know, there is a nationwide epidemic of heroin and prescription drug abuse that is resulting in drastic increases in addiction rates, overdose deaths, and incarceration. No zip code in this country is immune from this crisis.

Heroin and pain pill addiction does not discriminate on age, race, gender or socioeconomic class. Your neighbor could be using heroin, or so could their high-honors high school student. It is the public health crisis of this generation.

As a senior member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, I want to highlight some of the work that we have done to help combat this pandemic. The committee has collaboratively worked in a bipartisa manner to introduce and support the following bills:

H.R. 5889, which requires Health and Human Services to provide resources to early childhood care and education providers, as well as professionals working with young children, on ways to properly recognize and respond to children impacted by trauma related to substance abuse.

H.R. 5890, which calls on the HHS to re-evaluate plans under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to ensure the safe care of infants affected by prenatal substance abuse.

H.R. 5891 establishes interagency task forces to effectively and efficiently assist families who have been impacted by substance abuse disorders.

H.R. 5892 establishes an Advisory Committee on Opioids and the Workplace to advise the Secretary of Labor on actions the department can take to address the impact of opioid abuse on the workplace.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of all these bills, and I urge my colleagues to support them as well.

Mr. Speaker, the House is working to not only address this crisis, but combat it and overcome it. We will do so through treatment and recovery, through prevention, by protecting our communities, and by fighting fentanyl and other ever-changing synthetic or foreign illicit drugs.

No person can beat addiction alone, and overcoming this epidemic will not only take a community-wide effort, but a nationwide effort, and that is what we are prepared to do.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be the Democratic lead of this bipartisan bill, and I want to thank Mr. Garrett of Virginia for working with me on this legislation.

The purpose of our bill is to ensure that States have effective plans in place to protect infants who are innocent victims of the opioid epidemic. The bill aims to help Florida and other States develop evidence-based policies and procedures to properly care for babies born dependent on drugs.

Too many Americans and too many Floridians battle opioid addiction. As a mother, it breaks my heart to see innocent children suffer the consequences of adult addiction. We must do everything possible to ensure that drug-dependent babies receive proper care at the hospital and proper family, community, and medical support once they are discharged.

There are an estimated 2.1 million Americans addicted to opioids, typically, to prescription painkillers. Babies born to mothers who used opioids during pregnancy are at risk of an opioid withdrawal condition called neonatal abstinence syndrome. While there are common and effective ways to treat this syndrome, there are no uniform protocols.

Under Federal law, States are required to develop a plan to safely care for infants exposed to substance abuse. However, a 2015 investigation by Reuters indicated that very few States have plans in place that fulfill this Federal requirement. As a result, too many infants exposed to substance abuse and their caregivers are not receiving the comprehensive support they need.

Our bill seeks to address this problem. It would require HHS to provide guidance to States on how to implement safe and effective plans to care for infants born dependent on drugs. It would ensure this guidance promotes evidence-based practices and encourages State governments to collaborate with healthcare providers, social service agencies, and other community stakeholders, and it would ensure that HHS' guidance promotes family-centered treatment that seeks to keep families intact whenever possible.

Each year, thousands of babies in this country are born addicted to opioids, including about 4,000 in Florida alone. These babies need our support. This bill seeks to provide it. I respectfully ask my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Virginia for yielding time.

Mr. Speaker, across the country, communities are struggling to bear the heavy burden of the worsening trend to opioid addiction. At the Committee on Education and the Workforce, we like the idea of evidence- based policymaking. We like to see numbers and statistics. We have to remember, though, that these are never just numbers; they are real people in our own communities.

We have held hearings, spoken with experts, brainstormed solutions, and drafted bills. It has become abundantly clear to me that, for every person living with an opioid addiction, there are countless others who also have a steep price to pay. Few things are more devastating than witnessing a neighbor, a friend, a coworker, or a loved one fall prey to addiction and feeling powerless to stop it.

I want to thank and commend members of the Committee on Education and the Workforce for leaving no stone unturned as we work to make healing possible to all victims of this scourge of addiction, not only those who are struggling with opioid abuse.

Too many people, especially children, have been impacted by this scourge. Today's bills are designed to bring relief to those who are affected by the addiction while addressing the needs of children and families who have been left in this tragedy's wake.

According to many experts, the worst of the opioid addiction is still to come. If we are to bring this senseless tragedy to an end, we need to do all we can to ensure that the law addresses the needs of families, workplaces, and communities at large. I believe the bills the House is voting on today will do just that, and again, I commend the members of the Education and the Workforce Committee for all their hard work.