Behavioral Intervention Guidelines Act of 2021

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1191, I call up the bill (H.R. 7666) to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize certain programs relating to mental health and substance use disorders, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and add extraneous material on H.R. 7666.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7666, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022, and I thank Ranking Member Rodgers for working with me these past few months to develop this comprehensive legislation that will help address the mental health and substance use disorder crisis facing millions of Americans.

This bill is needed today more than ever. Americans report rising anxiety and depression and increased use of alcohol, opiates, and other substances. One in five adults are battling a mental illness. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for children ages 10 to 14, and earlier this year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report finding that 4 in 10 high school students said they felt persistently sad or hopeless during the COVID-19 pandemic. The opioid crisis also continues to devastate families and communities all around the Nation. 108,000 people lost their lives due to drug overdoses just last year alone.

The Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act will help restore hope for millions of Americans. The bill strengthens and expands more than 30 critical programs that collectively support mental health care and substance use disorder prevention, care, treatment, and recovery support services in communities across the Nation.

As the Nation prepares for the launch of the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline dialing code next month, H.R. 7666 provides key crisis response efforts, establishing the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Behavioral Health Crisis Coordination Office and requiring the development of crisis response best practices. The legislation also continues investments in critical mental health and substance use services block grant funding to States, territories, and Tribes.

The Restoring Hope Act includes crucial provisions to meet the challenges of the Nation's opioid epidemic, expanding and ensuring timely patient access to lifesaving treatment for opioid use disorders through the elimination of barriers to treatment. It includes Representative Tonko's MAT Act, which eliminates the X-waiver, a burdensome registration requirement that establishes arbitrary caps on the number of patients a provider can treat for opioid use disorder using buprenorphine.

This bill also establishes a one-time, 8-hour training requirement on treating and identifying substance use disorders that providers must complete

before their first registration or renewal of a license to dispense controlled substances.

H.R. 7666 also helps bolster the behavioral health workforce capacity and training. It also increases access to mental health and substance use disorder care and coverage by applying the mental health parity law to State and local government workers, such as teachers and frontline workers.

The legislation also supports the mental health of children and young people. It continues investment in the integration of behavioral health into pediatric primary care through Pediatric Mental Health Access Grants and enhances research at the National Institutes of Health on the cognitive, physical, and socioemotional impacts of modern technology and multimedia on infants, children, and adolescents.

I can't stress enough that this is an epidemic that focuses a lot on children and adolescents. Older youth need help with suicide prevention and other mental health support and substance use disorder services. Students in higher education need that help, and they get it through a program called the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act.

The bill also ensures that State Medicaid programs have resources to implement and strengthen school-based mental health services while preserving the continuity of coverage for justice-involved youth. These important provisions will increase children's access to care.

Mr. Speaker, the scope and reach of this bipartisan legislation--and I stress that. This was reported out of the Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously, Mr. Speaker. It is truly bipartisan. It is going to help to support the mental health and well-being of millions of Americans, their families, and communities for years to come.

I thank Members on both sides of the aisle, not only Ranking Member Rodgers, but the subcommittee leadership as well, both Democrat and Republican.

The reason that we try to do this on a bipartisan level and get everybody's support is because we have a good chance of passing this in the Senate, which is also acting on similar legislation. We are hopeful that as a result of a large vote today, that will spur the Senate into action, and we can actually get this bill signed into law.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on the Judiciary,

Washington, DC, June 10, 2022.

Hon. Frank Pallone, Jr.,

Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Pallone: This letter is to advise you that

the Committee on the Judiciary has now had an opportunity to

review the provisions in H.R. 7666, the ``Restoring Hope for

Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022,'' that fall within

our Rule X jurisdiction. I appreciate your consulting with us

on those provisions. The Judiciary Committee has no objection

to your including them in the bill for consideration on the

House floor, and to expedite that consideration is willing to

forgo action on H.R. 7666, with the understanding that we do

not thereby waive any future jurisdictional claim over those

provisions or their subject matters.

In the event a House-Senate conference on this or similar

legislation is convened, the Judiciary Committee reserves the

right to request an appropriate number of conferees to

address any concerns with these or similar provisions that

may arise in conference.

Please place this letter into the Congressional Record

during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Thank

you for the cooperative spirit in which you have worked

regarding this matter and others between our committees.

Sincerely,

Jerrold Nadler,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), who chairs our Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes), who has been involved with these health and behavioral issues for a long time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko), who chairs our Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. O'Halleran), a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Kuster), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the House majority leader.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from

Washington (Ms. Schrier), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Dingell), a member of the committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Mrs. Fletcher), who is also a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Beyer).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Madam Speaker, I just wanted to stress that H.R. 7666 includes programs focused on supporting youth mental health.

I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership on this issue. In fact, H.R. 7666 includes programs focused on supporting youth mental health including due to such traumatic events that were mentioned by the gentlewoman.

The SAMHSA Garrett Lee Smith State/Tribal Youth Suicide Prevention and Early Intervention Program, for instance, and HRSA's Pediatric Mental Health Care Access program, which helps integrate behavioral health into pediatric primary care, extends resources to support Project AWARE, building student, families, and school behavioral health resiliency. Further, the bill provides support to complement SAMHSA's launch of the new 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline dialing code next month that will expand access to crisis care support through call, text, or chat functions for millions of Americans.

Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Let me just add, I am pleased to work with the gentlewoman from Texas on this critical matter.

I thank her for her support in ensuring children and families have access to the mental health support and services they need to lead healthy and hopeful lives.

Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Levin).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline).

Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Let me just reiterate what the ranking member said. This was really a bipartisan bill. I thank Mrs. Rodgers, Mr. Guthrie, Ms. Anna Eshoo, and all the staff that worked so hard on this legislation.

It is important that we have as big a vote as possible because this bill has a real chance of passing the Senate and getting to the President's desk and will really address the mental health and substance abuse concerns that we have and the crisis that we have. So I urge everyone to vote ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution No. 1191, I rise to offer amendments en bloc No. 1.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the eight mental health amendments under this en bloc consideration. Collectively, these amendments further strengthen the bipartisan nature of the underlying comprehensive bill, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022.

I thank my colleagues for their leadership and contributions to furthering the health of the American people and wish to speak in strong support of their adoption into H.R. 7666.

Many of these amendments, Madam Speaker, include provisions from bills that previously passed the House this Congress on suspension that the Senate has yet to act upon.

I am pleased that we have the opportunity to, once again, emphasize their importance by including them in this crucial legislative package.

The amendment offered by Congressman Bera and Congressman Fitzpatrick is just such an amendment. Like the bill it reflects, the HERO Act, which passed the House last year, it will improve data collection and services to ensure our first responders and public safety officers receive the mental health care services they need.

Additionally, Congresswoman Napolitano and Congressman Katko submitted an amendment which extends and revises SAMHSA's Project AWARE program providing school-based mental health services, including screening, treatment, and outreach programs, provisions that likewise passed the House last year in H.R. 721, the Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2021.

Representatives Katko and Napolitano were also joined by Congressmen Beyer, Raskin, Cardenas, and Fitzpatrick in offering an additional amendment that includes provisions from H.R. 2981, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act of 2021, which also passed the House last year.

The amendment extends funding for SAMHSA's Lifeline--crucial in this Nation's moment of mental health crisis, supporting crisis care response and support as we prepare for the launch of the new 988 dialing code next month.

I appreciate the additional focus on the particular needs of certain communities in our country that several amendments add to the underlying bill.

I thank Representatives Reschenthaler, Morelle, Wild, and Dean for their amendment requiring a study to determine the true cost of untreated serious mental illness on families, healthcare systems, public housing, and law enforcement in America.

In addition, we certainly cannot do enough to support the men and women who have valiantly served our Nation in the Armed Forces.

I thank Congressman Joyce for his amendment that requires the Department of Defense to carry out a 2-year pilot program aimed at preventing suicides amongst Active-Duty members of the Armed Forces.

I also appreciate and support the amendment submitted by Congressman Feenstra requiring the new Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office established within SAMHSA by H.R. 7666, to provide technical assistance and support to the Veterans Crisis Line.

Further, Madam Speaker, I support the mental health and well-being of those who are pregnant or postpartum. The amendment offered by Congresswoman Moore makes important improvements to the Maternal Mental Health Hotline authorization to ensure those implementing the hotline consult with appropriate State, local, and Tribal public officials and those working with low-income people.

I am particularly pleased that H.R. 7666 would establish a new authorization for a Maternal Mental Health Hotline, and I appreciate Representative Moore's amendment that will serve to improve the underlying legislation.

Finally, Madam Speaker, while we know children in this country are facing a mental health crisis, unfortunately, we know that all too many also experience other chronic health challenges.

I am grateful to Representative Pressley for her amendment requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services conduct a study on the rates and risks of suicidal behaviors among youth with chronic illnesses and to provide Congress with recommendations for ways to provide early intervention, best practices, and strategies to address disparities.

I am pleased to support these amendments and encourage my colleagues to do the same.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Pressley), who has one of the important amendments included in this en bloc.

Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1191, I rise to offer amendments en bloc No. 2.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this en bloc amendment. This package includes bipartisan bills and policies that will increase access to substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery support services.

The amendment introduced by Representatives Rodney Davis, Bilirakis, O'Halleran, Wagner, and Kuster reflects H.R. 2355, the Opioid Prescription Verification Act of 2021, which has previously passed the House. The amendment, like the bill it is drawn from, encourages the use of e-prescribing for opioids and incentivizes States to maintain and utilize prescription drug monitoring programs.

Likewise, the amendment offered by Representatives Andy Kim and Davids also reflects a previously House-passed bill, H.R. 2364, the Synthetic Opioid Danger Awareness Act. Their amendment requires the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a public education campaign about synthetic opioids, including fentanyl and its analogues, and disseminate information about synthetic opioids to healthcare providers.

Continuing the theme of bipartisanship, Representatives McKinley and Dingell introduced an amendment that amends the Controlled Substances Act to clarify the process for registrants to exercise due diligence upon discovering a suspicious order. Like the prior amendments, this, too, is drawn from a prior House-passed bill, H.R. 768, the Block, Report, And Suspend Suspicious Shipments Act of 2021.

Further, the amendment offered by Representatives Trone, Armstrong, and Sherrill also draws from a prior House-passed bill extending a critical authorization for the State Opioid Response grants and Tribal Opioid Response grants for 5 years.

Another amendment introduced by Representatives Dean, Spartz, Scanlon, and Fitzpatrick reflects H.R. 5950, the Improving Patient Access to Care and Treatment Act. This amendment increases the time from 14 to 60 days that healthcare providers can hold long-acting injectable buprenorphine before administering it to a patient, giving patients and practitioners greater flexibility when accessing opioid use disorder treatment.

Finally, this amendment package includes an amendment offered by Representative Gottheimer that would ensure that veterans are included within the crisis response continuum of best practices included in H.R. 7666.

I thank the sponsors of these provisions. These bipartisan amendments provide strong tools to address the ongoing overdose crisis and will save lives. I urge my colleagues to support this package of amendments and include them in the overall bill.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, but I do not oppose the amendment.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this amendment. Like the bill that passed the House last year, H.R. 2877, and other House-passed provisions we hope to include through amendment into the Restoring Hope Act, this bipartisan amendment is part of the bipartisan approach Ranking Member Rodgers and I have taken since day one with this critical bill.

This amendment requires the Secretary to consult with a range of experts, including mental health and education professionals, to develop best practices for schools and universities to establish behavioral intervention teams to identify concerning behaviors and manage risks among students. The guidance must determine how these teams can operate effectively while relying on evidence-based, objective protection of the constitutional and civil rights of students and staff.

Madam Speaker, I understand that some disability and civil rights organizations have concerns about the provisions of this amendment and opposed the original bill. I agree that we must be sensitive to the concerns of these organizations and not inadvertently perpetuate a false association of psychiatric disability and gun violence, nor promote the preemptive use of law enforcement to address problematic student behaviors, particularly among students with disabilities and/or students of color, who are already disproportionately excessively disciplined compared to their peers.

At the same time, I think there is merit to the idea of teams of behavioral health specialists working in concert with educators to identify youth and college students who may be at risk of harming themselves or others and making sure they get the support they need.

This bill has passed the full House twice, as I said, on suspension, both this Congress and last Congress. My understanding is that the bill's sponsors have made changes when reintroducing the bill this Congress to address some of the stakeholders' concerns by including more robust privacy protections and inappropriate referral protections. I think these changes improve the bill.

I understand the stakeholders would like to see additional changes, and as I have indicated in the past, I am committed to examining ways to address these concerns and add additional guardrails as the bill progresses through negotiations with our Senate counterparts, including this amendment for consideration for adoption into H.R. 7666, but we need to pass the amendment to allow those kinds of negotiations with the Senate.

I look forward to working closely with stakeholders, Congressman Ferguson, and the other original leads of H.R. 2877, and, of course, our ranking member, to strike the right balance that protects the health, privacy, and rights of all students.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia for expressing his concerns relating to the MAT Act, but I respectfully disagree with his proposal.

First of all, I take issue with some of his characterizations regarding buprenorphine. Buprenorphine is not broadly available to all Americans who need it. In fact, only 1 in 10 individuals with opioid use disorder receive medications for their condition, including buprenorphine.

Over half of all rural counties in the United States do not have a single waivered buprenorphine provider, and 40 percent of all counties in the United States don't have a single waivered provider, according to the HHS-OIG.

This is a huge treatment gap. A treatment gap for opioid use disorders means lives are lost every day unnecessarily when there is treatment available. This is tragic and not acceptable.

Second, the gentleman has made the argument that buprenorphine is not effective against fentanyl, but that is not accurate. Buprenorphine is proven to reduce fentanyl use and overdose deaths, according to the National Academies of Sciences Consensus Report on Medications for Opioid Use Disorders and the United States Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking.

Delaying the elimination of the X waiver to 2024 means extending the time in which a barrier to treatment is in place, leading to an increased risk of overdose and death.

It is clear that we are experiencing record numbers of overdose deaths in America. This is a public health emergency and needs to be addressed immediately.

Buprenorphine is a proven, evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder. Buprenorphine prevents painful withdrawal symptoms, reduces opioid cravings, and cuts the risk of overdose in half. This is due to buprenorphine's ceiling effect, which makes it nearly impossible to overdose on the medication. For these reasons, it is considered safer than commonly prescribed medications like insulin and blood thinners.

Madam Speaker, eliminating the X waiver is a cornerstone of the Restoring Hope Act. The MAT Act amendment to this package was adopted at markup by a vote of 45-10. It received support from the majority of Republicans and Democrats on the committee.

Further, nothing in this bill limits the ability of States to prepare and act on the overdose crisis.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself an additional 30 seconds.

To the contrary, this legislation empowers States to determine the appropriate training, licensing requirements, and tools for providers who dispense controlled substances and treat patients with substance use disorders. All the MAT Act does is remove an unnecessary and outdated Federal barrier to States effectively addressing the opioid overdose crisis.

If we don't act now, we risk tens of thousands of additional overdoses and unnecessary loss of life. I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko).

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7666, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act.

We are taking urgent action to help States and communities provide lifesaving mental health care to people in need, especially for our children and those suffering from severe mental illness.

I think about Austin, a 9-year-old boy who struggled to cope when his school was shut down, and his parents were going through a divorce. He was socially isolated and didn't know where to turn. When he confessed suicidal thoughts to his mom, they faced long waiting lists and no beds for the care that he needed.

Cases like Austin's can't be ignored. Parents, teachers, and medical professionals are talking about this everywhere I go.

In Spokane, Washington, we are seeing more violence in our schools and rising crime. Drug overdose deaths and fentanyl poisoning were up 300 percent last year. There is an overwhelming sense of despair, anxiety, fear, and isolation. This has been heightened by the horrific shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo. Especially for our children, we need to deliver hope and healing in every community in our country.

This bill will help children in crisis and improve school safety. For example, Congresswoman Ashley Hinson is leading with Richard Hudson on a provision that will expand access to behavioral and mental health services to kids in schools.

It also includes a solution I led on with Congresswoman Young Kim to reauthorize the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, which supports community-based youth and young adult suicide prevention programs.

Like with Representative French Hill's solution in this, we are removing red tape, boosting treatment access, and making sure communities have resources to combat the substance use disorder epidemic in America.

More than 100,000 people are dying a year, and our communities are in desperate need of help to prevent, treat, and rescue people from overdoses and despair.

The priorities in this bill are targeted to responsibly address our most urgent needs so we can build stronger families, communities, and a brighter future. We are accomplishing this by stopping duplicative programs and cutting the deficit by $200 million. The bulk of the programs in this bill are block grants that have been successful in providing our States and communities with the resources and flexibilities to meet the specific and unique needs in combating mental illness and addiction while keeping the Federal Government out of the decisionmaking process for treatments and care.

By protecting charitable choice, we are also making sure faith-based and religious organizations are competing on an equal footing. This is a victory for conscience protections.

The provisions in this bill also support care for maternal mental health and substance use disorders, which are among the leading causes of death for pregnant and postpartum women. We are saving lives and caring for women at every stage of pregnancy and beyond.

Mr. Speaker, I again urge support for this legislation. I thank Chairman Pallone for his leadership and for working with us on solutions from our colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

While families and communities will lead the way to address the root causes of despair, isolation, violence, and overdose deaths that are tearing nearly every community apart and destroying people's lives, this bill takes an important step forward to help them in these efforts.

We are taking action to turn this despair into hope. Children like Austin in communities like mine in eastern Washington are counting on it. Let's

deliver today and keep building on this work.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Emmer), who has led on important provisions for children in this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie), our lead on the Subcommittee on Health.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill), a leader on this issue, who sponsored the underlying bill that is incorporated in this package.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Tony Gonzales), whose community understands the importance of hope and healing like no other right now.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlemen from North Dakota (Mr. Armstrong), a leader on the committee.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), a leader on the committee and on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim), who is a leader on a provision within the larger package.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), who is a leader on the issue.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer).

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce), a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Balderson).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Bucshon).

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

Madam Speaker, I want to again just express appreciation to the chairman of the committee, all the Members that have participated in helping bring this package of very important mental health proposals to the House today. I urge a strong ``yes'' vote.

As many have said, we have a mental health crisis. At a time when there is so much fear and anxiety and stress, we see increased suicide. We see drug overdoses, and it is time that we act, and act in a way that is really going to make a difference for America's families and our youth in particular.

Madam Speaker, I urge support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of the amendments offered en bloc. I rise today to express my strong support for this group of amendments. Included in this en bloc are important bills that have already overwhelmingly passed the House, including Representative Katko's Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act, which reauthorizes the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline program and ensures resources are available for the continued operation of the hotline, especially with 9-8-8 going live next month.

Representative Katko also has included in this en bloc the Mental Health Services for Students Act, which provides an authorization for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Project AWARE grant.

Project AWARE is a successful program which supports partnerships between the State and local systems in increasing awareness of mental health issues among school-aged youth; providing training for school personnel to detect and respond to mental health issues; and connecting students with behavioral health issues and their families to needed services.

The en bloc also includes the Reschenthaler amendment, which would authorize a study on the cost of untreated serious mental illness on families, the health system, the justice system, and the economy.

While very treatable, serious mental illness remains a neglected health issue, and I am hopeful that the data gleaned from this study will convince policymakers to do more to address this condition, including addressing the IMD exclusion.

This group of amendments demonstrates the good work Congress can do when both parties come together to find meaningful solutions to address mental health in America.

Madam Speaker, I urge adoption, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Joyce).

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the amendments offered en bloc and yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for this group of amendments addressing substance use disorder.

Included in this en bloc are important bills that have already passed with overwhelming support, including Representative Rodney Davis' Opioid Prescription Verification Act, which incentivizes States to use prescription drug monitoring programs; requires certain controlled substances to be prescribed electronically; and directs Federal agencies to develop, disseminate, and periodically update training materials to help pharmacists identify and report potential cases of bad actors who attempt to illegally buy and sell controlled substances.

Also included is Representative David McKinley's Block, Report, And Suspend Suspicious Shipments Act, which places additional obligations on drug manufacturers and distributors to identify and stop suspicious orders of controlled substances.

We have seen a devastating increase in overdose deaths that I think should be called poisonings, teens buying one pill via Snapchat and immediately overdosing because of a small amount of fentanyl in those pills. Just because it looks like a pill and someone says it was from a pharmacy does not make it so. We need to do more to stop both diversion of legitimate medication and counterfeits that are devastating our communities.

These amendments are a good step in that direction, and I urge adoption.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. McKinley), who has been a longtime leader on the issues of substance abuse.

Madam Speaker, I claim the time in opposition, but I urge adoption of the amendment.

Madam Speaker, I rise to urge adoption of the Demings amendment, which requires a report on the mental health issues experienced by law enforcement and the available resources or programs that are available to law enforcement officers to address mental health and stress.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, law enforcement officers report high rates of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorders, with nearly one in four having considered suicide. In fact, more officers die from suicide than do in the line of duty.

The report will include recommendations to Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies on how to improve the mental health and well- being of our officers.

It is a necessary first step in helping us understand what resources are available to improve the mental health and wellness of law enforcement officials. Those risking their lives to keep America safe deserve passage of this amendment.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, as the designee of the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Ferguson), I have an amendment at the desk.

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

I rise to express my strong support for the Ferguson amendment, which would incorporate the language of the bipartisan, House-passed Behavioral Intervention Guidelines Act to the underlying package.

This important amendment authorizes the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to develop best practices for establishing and appropriately using behavioral intervention teams in schools.

Behavioral intervention teams are multidisciplinary teams that support students' mental health and wellness by identifying students experiencing stress, anxiety, or other behavioral disturbances, and conducting intervention and outreach to these students to help manage risk.

These teams are already active in some educational settings, such as Texas Tech and the University of California, Los Angeles.

By acting in a proactive manner to assist students and connecting them with needed resources, behavioral intervention teams help schools create a safe environment for their students and improve mental health outcomes in young people.

It is more important now than ever that schools and communities have guidance on how to provide behavioral health resources and interventions for their students to facilitate the early intervention and treatment of mental health conditions.

This amendment will help children get help before their conditions worsen or reach a crisis level. I strongly urge a ``yes'' vote on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Griffith amendment which provides additional time for implementation of the provisions of the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act included in this bill.

I supported the inclusion of this language at committee, as I believe it will help increase access to substance use disorder treatment, the underlying language. However, enacting this language will be a huge policy change from the status quo.

Furthermore, States do regulate the practice of medicine, and each State has unique, individual regulations and procedures regarding the dispensing and the prescribing of scheduled narcotics. States could use the additional time to update their laws with any changes they may want now that Federal restrictions will be removed.

This is exactly what Mr. Griffith's amendment does. It sets the implementation date for removing the X waiver requirement to take effective on January 1, 2024.

Madam Speaker, I support this commonsense amendment that will ensure that the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act gets appropriately implemented.

Madam Speaker, I rise for the purpose of inquiring to the majority the schedule for the week to come.

I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Aguilar), my friend and colleague, the vice chair of the Democratic Caucus.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the majority for those remarks on the schedule.

I also want to take a minute to thank the leader, and others over there, for helping pass H.R. 2877, the Behavioral Intervention Guidelines Act. It is a really good bill that will go a long way in supporting school safety. I know there were many questions about it, and everybody worked to get it to a good spot. I would like to, again, extend my appreciation for all of the help from my Democratic colleagues.

Turning to the operations of the House, as the gentleman knows, the CDC has now lifted all mask and social distancing requirements. President Biden has lifted the mask requirements for the White House staff. But, amazingly, here in the House of Representatives, we still must wear the mask, stagger the vote times, have these long vote times. We should be going back to a 5-minute and a 2-minute schedule so we can do the work of the House.

When can we expect these restrictions to be lifted?

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California.

Madam Speaker, reclaiming my time.

We, as Americans, should all celebrate Operation Warp Speed and the work done by the administration to be able to do that and to follow through. We greatly appreciate the Biden administration's following up on the really great work of Operation Warp Speed and the Trump administration.

I yield to the gentleman.

Madam Speaker, reclaiming my time.

That is in direct contradiction to CDC guidelines.

And on top of that, will the gentleman explain how in the world you are going to get that information that every member of this body has been vaccinated without violating HIPAA laws?

Please. I would love an answer.

Reclaiming my time.

Of course, we would like all Americans to be vaccinated. But, again, you will never be able to understand or know how many Members are actually vaccinated unless you require them to give you that information. If you require them to give you that information, then the majority will be in violation of the HIPAA privacy laws.

How in the world can you violate the HIPAA privacy laws on this? What does that mean for future pandemics and future diseases?

There are laws in place that say that Members do not have to disclose their health information. And if the gentleman could please explain how you force a Member of this body to disclose their personal health information without violating HIPAA laws, I would love to hear that answer.

Reclaiming my time.

So the President, the leader of the Democratic socialist movement right now here in America, has said that it is good enough for the White House, yet you are going to defer to the House physician over the President of the United States.

No.

My point is that there is so much inconsistency here. You will never, ever get to the point, Madam Speaker, that you will ever be able to get every Member to show some sort of vaccination card without violating the HIPAA privacy protections.

Again, I am listening to the rhetoric. It is a simple question: How do you compel Members of this body to disclose their private health information without violating HIPAA laws?

Not strategy. Not theoretical. How are you going to do that?

What provision in the law, in the HIPAA protections of an American's private information regarding their healthcare record, are you going to waive to compel Members of the House to show that they have been vaccinated?

I yield to my colleague from California.

Reclaiming my time.

I will wrap this topic up with a couple of observations.

Our colleagues across on the other side of the building are certainly following different guidelines than we are here. I think it is important to note that what the majority is doing here is that they are undermining the vaccination program. They are committing public health malpractice by saying, if you get the vaccine, it doesn't work.

What is the incentive to do this?

I am going to move on to the next topic. I believe we have beat this dead horse enough and there is no answer.

Could the gentleman answer one question: Is President Biden wrong? Or is Dr. Monahan wrong?

I yield to the gentleman from California.

I will say this before we move on to the next topic. It does appear that many of us are governed by different rules along the way.

So let's move on to one final thing.

As you know, this has been police reform week. I was happy to see that President Biden set the deadline for May 25 to sign a police reform bill. I was also extremely happy to see that Democrat leadership has dropped its request to eliminate qualified immunity. I thought that was a very strong statement and very positive.

As the majority whip said on May 9: I know what the perfect bill will be. We have proposed that. And I want to see good legislation. I know that sometimes you have to compromise. And if we don't get qualified immunity now, we can come back and try to get it later. But I don't want to see us throw out a good bill because we can't get a perfect bill, good legislative action.

Now, in order to get this bill done by the May 25--that is a fairly short timeline. I know that Representative Pete Stauber has a bill ready to go--a really good bill--that addresses the things in a very bipartisan way that I think we would like to see.

Based on the schedule that you laid out, do you anticipate that the majority would take up Mr. Stauber's bill so that we can meet President Biden's deadline of May 25?

Reclaiming my time.

I implore the majority to put Mr. Stauber and Mr. Scott's bill onto the floor as soon as possible so that we can reach a bipartisan vote and consensus on this.

I just want to make one other observation here, knowing that it is police week. We have got men and women around this country--you and I, again, both as mayors, had the honor of being involved in that, seeing the sacrifice that they make, whether it is local police officers or deputies out patrolling our country roads in many parts of my district; the men and women of the Customs and Border Patrol Agency who are down there putting their lives on the line every single day to stop the grossness of human trafficking and the horrors of narcotic trafficking; or looking around this very building that we are in right now, looking at the men and women who have been here, that will continue to be here to serve us and protect us.

What I found very interesting about this week is that the silence from the majority is deafening. Not bringing a resolution to honor our men and women in law enforcement says an awful lot about how you feel.

And I will say this: I think the majority should come back in--and I think we would all agree to do this next week--to put a resolution on the floor to honor the men and women of law enforcement, because I can't imagine which group is not worthy of that.

I yield to the gentleman.

But, again, I want to go back to it, with the morale of the officers here in the Capitol as low as it is right now, the tremendous stresses that they are under, the staffing problems that they have, wondering whether or not this entire body at times has their back.

No, not yet. I think it is important that this body bring a resolution to the floor supporting the men and women in law enforcement around the Nation, but particularly right here in this Capitol. I will be the first one, along with the rest of my colleagues, to support that resolution.

And, so again, it is very simple. A lot of words. And I do appreciate the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Demings), for leading the Special Order. She certainly knows, as a former law enforcement officer and leader of a department, how tough that is. But, again, the silence here is deafening.

With that, Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

On Monday, the House will meet at 12 p.m. for morning-hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business, with votes expected no earlier than 6:30 p.m.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning- hour debate and 12 p.m. for legislative business.

On Thursday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business, with last votes no later than 3 p.m.

We will consider several bills under suspension of the rules. A complete list of the suspension bills will be announced by the close of business today.

In addition, we will consider bills rejecting hate toward the Asian- American and Pacific Islander community, including S. 937, the Senate- passed COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which addresses the dramatic increase in hate crimes targeting the AAPI community since the start of the pandemic.

H. Res. 275, a resolution condemning the horrific shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 16, 2021, and reaffirming the House of Representatives' commitment to combatting hate, bigotry, and violence against the AAPI community.

We will also consider H.R. 1629, the Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act, which closes the loophole that blocks pharmaceutical competition and prevents innovative treatments for opioid use disorder from coming to market, and would help millions of Americans suffering from opioid addiction.

Next week, the House will also consider the Emergency Security Supplemental to Respond to January 6th Appropriations Act, 2021, which addresses enhanced security needs for the Capitol complex; and House Resolution 3233, the National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex Act, which establishes a commission to investigate the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6.

This is bipartisan legislation. I want to thank Chairman Thompson and Ranking Member Katko for their leadership in announcing this bill, and I hope that it will have broad bipartisan support next week.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for the question and for acknowledging the extraordinary success of the Biden- Harris administration in putting millions of shots in arms at a historic pace.

Will the gentleman yield?

Madam Speaker, that success that the gentleman talked about was fueled by this Congress last year and this year and by a science-based investment approach that the American Rescue Plan offered. As evidenced by this guidance, we are building back.

But I want to call particular attention to the ``Dear Colleague'' letter that Dr. Monahan sent out to everyone on the Capitol complex campus. It says: ``The present mask requirement and other guidelines remain unchanged until all Members and floor staff are fully vaccinated.''

The centerpiece of this strategy that the gentleman just acknowledged is vaccinations.

It is important that we continue to get as many Members as we can vaccinated. That is the strategy that Dr. Monahan, Rear Admiral Monahan, a distinguished physician, the strategy that he has laid out.

Madam Speaker, the cornerstone of the strategy is vaccinations. What the gentleman is asking is an important question. What the majority is saying is, let's follow the guidance of the Office of the Attending Physician.

We have no interest in knowing individually what Members and what staff members are vaccinated. Our interest is in governing this House and the operations of this body, and we trust that Dr. Monahan will work with both parties and both sides of the aisle and will give us a report when this House is fully vaccinated. That becomes our guidance.

Will the gentleman yield? We will talk about the Constitution.

I appreciate the gentleman from Georgia yielding once again. I will try to be as clear as I possibly can.

We will follow the guidance of the Office of the Attending Physician, a decorated rear admiral, who is hoping, with the Sergeant at Arms, to govern the Capitol complex.

As the CDC guidelines mention--and I am sure my colleague has read the full CDC guidance, which specifically says government buildings and local governments and State governments may make separate----

The gentleman knows I am happy to talk about HIPAA and your role with it.

What I would say is, the CDC guidelines, as my colleague from Georgia understands, specifically mentions workplaces can set their own guidelines. We are following workplace guidance given by the Office of the Attending Physician and the Sergeant at Arms. Those are the processes that govern this body, whether Democrats are in control or Republicans are in control. We should be guided by public health guidance. That is exactly what we are doing here.

And I appreciate the question. Because as the gentleman knows, we are a co-equal branch of government here in the Capitol. So I appreciate his love of the executive branch of government; I really do. However, we are governed by different rules. As a co-equal branch of government, we should be.

I appreciate the question, and this is such a timely and important topic that the country needs to address. I am incredibly pleased with the bipartisan success that the negotiations have led to, to date.

As the gentleman knows, those conversations continue to be ongoing, but the majority believes that those conversations are progressing in a way that is hopeful toward addressing this issue.

I think both sides realize, and I hope the minority realizes, the importance of making changes to protect our communities. I know the gentleman is a former mayor, as I am as well. So we have dealt with a lot of these issues at the local level.

So what I would say is, Senator Scott, Congressman Stauber, and Congresswoman Karen Bass have been engaged in this discussion. We want to give them the latitude and the flexibility to continue those discussions. I wouldn't agree with the characterization that the gentleman from Georgia made about where the negotiations are, but I can tell you that we are committed to seeing this done. We are committing to getting this done and putting a bill on the floor that will have strong bipartisan support.

As the gentleman knows, there was a lengthy Special Order hour led by our colleague from Florida, former police chief herself, talking about the importance of these issues, the importance of honoring heroes, the importance of honoring people who put themselves in harm's way each and every day and are behaving well.

What I would ask the gentleman from Georgia is, in that similar vein, honoring police week, honoring those folks who helped us, who looked out for us January 6, I hope the gentleman will encourage the minority leader to meet with Officer Fanone from the Metropolitan Police Department, who has requested a meeting with the minority leader to talk about the events of January 6 and to talk about his experiences, which were so impactful as he shared them on national television and as he talked about the role that he played and the role that his colleagues played in protecting this temple of democracy.

I hope that the minority leader has the time to meet with Officer Fanone. I signed a letter to the minority leader from my colleagues encouraging him to do so, and I hope that the gentleman from Georgia reiterates the importance to meet with law enforcement heroes.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. As I begin--I am going to ask the chairman to enter into a colloquy--but, first, let me express my strong support for H.R. 7666 and the work that has been done in a bipartisan manner by both the chairman and the ranking member, and the importance of the issue of dealing with opioid addictions and other addictions that require this additional work. I am gratified to rise to support that.

I thank Chairman Pallone, and ask, as I said, that he engages in a colloquy with me on the need to support the mental health needs of trauma victims impacted by trauma and, yes, mass

shootings. I think I have been here in the United States Congress during Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, Mother Emanuel, Santa Fe, Parkland--and the list goes on--and tragically Uvalde with 19 children, 2 adults, and 1 individual who died of heartbreak. I was in Uvalde, and I saw the impact on our children, to see 9-year-olds--9-year-olds-- crying and saying that because I spoke to them, they said you are making me happy because you spoke to me, and you said you care. Out of the mouth of a 9-year-old.

So we know there is a mental health crisis as relates to the trauma of those who certainly are survivors and those who are in the community.

We also know that too many families and children in this country are hurting from the preventable epidemic of gun violence, shootings, and mass casualty events. These tragic events have lasting scars on the families, friends, and communities. I have seen this pain with my own eyes. And so I am interested in--as my amendment that I withdrew indicated--is there a prioritization of those children who are impacted by trauma?

Madam Speaker, I would like to be able to work with Chairman Pallone on this issue. Will the gentleman yield for the purpose of a colloquy?

I thank the chairman for answering my questions regarding the Restoring Hope Act that there will be provisions for mental health care and services for children, families, and communities who experience these traumatic and violent events.

I look forward working with the chairman on these vital resources. With your partnership I would like to continue to work with you and the administration to ensure that when this legislation is enacted, the needs of the vulnerable victims and those closest to them are in the front of our minds.

Will the gentleman commit to working with me on this matter?

Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for his support. I will support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise as a staunch advocate for mental health services to speak in favor of the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well- Being Act of 2022.

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize critical mental health programs for those dealing with mental health or substance abuse disorders.

H.R. 7666 works to mitigate some of the most pressing issues of our time by designating grants, expanding the availability of high-quality recovery housing, reauthorizing treatment programs, and combatting substance abuse.

In 2019, an estimated 10.1 million people in the U.S. aged 12 or older misused opioids in the past year. Specifically, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers and 745,000 people used heroin.

The bill eliminates a key restrictive classification of opioid addiction so that access to treatment programs is expanded.

These issues disproportionately impact tribal communities. According to the American Addiction Centers, 10% of Native Americans have a substance use disorder.

H.R. 7666 specifically funds the prevention and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders for tribal populations.

This is a needed step in protecting a community with a history of being mistreated by the Federal government.

This bill's expansion of access to mental health care services, most importantly of all, would make these services much more available to children and adolescents, who must always be our top priority.

For example, this bill increases mental health services for our youth by integrating behavioral health into public education in primary schools and creating a grant for pediatric mental health services.

This legislation also addresses another pressing issue that afflicts young Americans: eating disorders. As many as 10 in 100 young women suffer from an eating disorder.

H.R. 7666 provides federal funding for the identification and treatment of eating disorders.

But, above all, Mr. Speaker, who among all of our children, need mental health services more than those who have just experienced the unconscionable? Senseless shootings leave our students, some as young as five years old, devastated and vulnerable.

As adults, the thought of having our peers murdered in front of us is disturbing. How much more traumatizing would that be for pre-school students?

This bill acts as a conduit for protecting children who are victims of a mass shooting or mass casualty event.

Mass shootings, especially school shootings, can leave lethal and obvious physical wounds on victims.

However, the long-lasting and subtle mental trauma is the invisible scar left on many survivors. Friends, family, and classmates often suffer with extreme guilt and sadness.

There have been 278 mass shooting in this year alone. Firearms are now the leading cause of death for children and teens.

In addition to those tragically killed, millions more are left behind, coping with these deaths. An estimated 3 million children in the US are exposed to shootings per year.

Since Columbine, there have been 337 school shootings and 311,000 students have experienced gun violence at school. Even more disturbing, just since Uvalde, there have been 65 mass shootings.

This is not a one-state issue. From the 28 killed at Sandy Hook in Connecticut, to the 17 killed at Marjorie Stoneman-Douglas in Florida, to the 10 killed at Red Lake in Minnesota, to the 22 killed at Robb Elementary in my home state of Texas, school shootings have become a disgusting norm.

Children exposed to violence, crime, and abuse are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol; suffer from depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder; fail or have difficulties in school; and engage in criminal activity.

These children don't stay children forever. These mental health struggles translate to a life of pain and suffering where crime, drug use, and suicide are more likely.

This trauma has real consequences: in the year following the 2018 massacre at Stoneman-Douglas High school, two students took their own life after suffering with the mental anguish of the events they had lived through.

Passage of this bill will not solve the gun crisis or mass shootings in this country. Only common-sense gun-control will do that.

However, this bill will set a foundation for the government to address the toll of gun violence on children's mental health.

Additionally, enactment of this legislation demonstrates Congress' support of victims of mass casualty events by prioritizing access to mental health services.

Children are the future of our country. Far too many of them have their hopes and dreams stripped away by senseless shootings.