Poison Control Centers Reauthorization Act of 2024

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 4351) to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize certain poison control programs.

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 in the Record on the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 4351, the Poison Control Centers Reauthorization Act of 2024. I thank Mrs. Chavez-DeRemer, the sponsor of H.R. 7251, the House bill passed unanimously by the Energy and Commerce Committee. We applaud her leadership on this important bill and on the reauthorization of this program.

The Poison Control Network Program supports local poison centers to ensure that they can provide 24/7 access to specially trained providers, physicians, or toxicology experts, to provide guidance on possible poisoning and toxic exposures.

This reauthorization will help continue to provide resources for the Poison Help Line, which is a toll-free number for people to access trained experts.

It also renews funding for a nationwide media campaign to spread awareness for the Poison Help Line and disseminate best practices for poison prevention.

In fiscal year 2021, the most common poisonings reported were related to medications such as nonprescription fentanyl. This category is the most common poisoning that resulted in death for both adults and children.

In fact, children under the age of 6 were involved in almost half of all calls to local poison centers.

Poison centers play a critical role in helping to curb the rates of poisonings and toxic exposures. Reauthorizing this program will ensure local centers receive the resources they need to educate their communities and be available to help patients in need.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), a subcommittee chair on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 4351, the Poison Control Centers Reauthorization Act.

Each year, there are over 2 million cases of people being exposed to poison in the United States. There are many substances implicated in poison exposures, from pain medications to cleaning substances to cosmetics and personal care products.

The incidence of poison exposure is highest in children under the age of 6, but poisoning affects all age groups, from infants to seniors.

This is why Congress funds poison control centers to serve all 50 States and U.S. territories, as well as the National Poison Help Line that connects callers with the poison control center serving their area. These centers help with poison emergencies and provide information to prevent poisonings. They serve as critical lifelines that provide all Americans with expert advice 24/7, 365 days a year, at no cost.

Over 70 percent of callers to poison control centers get the help they need over the phone and do not need to go to a hospital. Even healthcare professionals utilize poison control centers in emergencies.

The Poison Control Centers Reauthorization Act will reauthorize poison control programs, including the National Poison Hotline, programs to raise awareness of poison control centers, and direct funding for those centers. These important programs are essential to getting people the help they need in poison emergencies.

I thank Representatives Chavez-DeRemer, Davis, Joyce, and Cherfilus- McCormick for their work on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on S. 4351, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, obviously, it is important for us to reauthorize these poison control programs and the centers. I urge my colleagues to support this on a bipartisan basis, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Poison Control Centers Reauthorization Act of 2024.

As my colleagues have pointed out, this legislation reauthorizes the national network of poison control centers. These centers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to provide free and confidential assistance with emergencies and other information to help prevent poisoning.

In fact, the Georgia Poison Center is a critical resource in Georgia, responding to over 80,000 calls last year alone. Poison control centers are also essential to combating the opioid and fentanyl crisis, because not only are these centers often the first resource people seek after an opioid overdose occurs, but they also collect real-time data to alert impacted communities about opioid abuse and misuse.

With the rise of elicit fentanyl poisonings across the country, we must prioritize these centers and support them to protect our families and communities.

Ensuring the reauthorization of these poison control centers will be another step in the right direction to combat the rise of illicit opioids that continues to plague our communities.

I would like to commend my colleagues for their continued leadership on this bipartisan legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it.