Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5483) to impose a deadline for the promulgation of interim final regulations in accordance with section 311(h) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 831(h)) specifying the circumstances in which a special registration may be issued to a practitioner to engage in the practice of telemedicine, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, many patients have limited access to mental health and substance use disorder services, particularly Americans who live outside of metropolitan areas. To increase access to specialized care, this legislation requires the Attorney General to issue waivers to healthcare providers to prescribe medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, for emergency situations, like the lack of access to an in-person specialist.

Under a previous version of the bill, the DEA would have had up to 90 days to complete this task. At their request, this committee favorably reported an amendment extending this window to 1 year.

Finalizing the rules for the special waiver process is on the unified agenda of the Justice Department at DEA. That is a signal that they understand the need to implement this provision of law.

We have the opportunity to consider this bill today because of the faithful dedication and thoughtful legislating of Representatives Buddy Carter of Georgia and Cheri Bustos of Illinois.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter) to speak on this legislation, our resident pharmacist, the only one, I believe, in the entire U.S. House of Representatives, who has

been a terrific asset as we have dealt with these issues of drugs and drug abuse and addiction, or addiction treatment, and trying to find the best paths forward.

Mr. Speaker, Members should support this very important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5582) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study and submit a report on barriers to accessing abuse- deterrent opioid formulations for individuals enrolled in a plan under part C or D of the Medicare program, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend Mr. Carter, Mr. Loebsack, and Mr. Reed,

bipartisan Members working together on legislation to develop the bipartisan bill.

This Medicare program provides healthcare coverage to more than 58 million of our citizens. Serving the over-age-65 population, Medicare accounts for a large share of total opioid prescriptions, as you might imagine. While many Medicare beneficiaries with serious and very real pain-related conditions are being properly prescribed opioids, we have to be mindful of the potential dangers of diversion and misuse of these very prescriptions.

There is no silver bullet in stopping the opioid crisis in this country, but this legislation before us now will study one potential tool for slowing misuse and diversion of opioids prescribed to the chronic care population. Abuse-deterrent formulations have proven to the Food and Drug Administration that they are harder to abuse because of certain properties they contain.

While no abuse-deterrent formulation is 100 percent resistant to abuse, I think we need to know what policies may be in place that would limit patient access to these drugs for when they are the right option.

I believe this bill is important to inform future discussions on these technologies, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and pass

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), an incredibly important member of our committee.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the same, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5583) to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require States to annually report on certain adult health quality measures, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would point out to my colleagues, this is the 20th bill in a row we have brought to the floor so far, with a few more to go today. This bill is sponsored by Representatives Clarke, Blackburn, and myself, and it requires States to report on the behavioral health quality measures in CMS' core set of adult health measures.

Now, these measures were created as part of the CHIPRA legislation back in 2009. States have had almost a decade to understand the measures and to report them. So now it is time to make sure that information gets reported so Congress can have a complete view on behavioral healthcare in Medicaid.

You see, these behavioral health measures focus on important issues, such as initiation and adherence to medication and treatment, smoking cessation, screening, and follow-up after hospitalizations.

This legislation is certainly in alignment with our recent efforts to expand mandatory reporting of quality measures. As a reminder, in the recent Children's Health Insurance Program 10-year--record 10-year-- extension, States are now required to report on the pediatric core measures. Now, this legislation before us will provide some parity in requiring the reporting of important behavioral health measures as well.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New York, my friend, for her leadership. She is a tireless worker on our committee-- on this issue, especially.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage passage of the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5685) to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide educational resources regarding opioid use and pain management as part of the Medicare & You handbook.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I commend Representatives Faso, Welch, and Renacci. They all worked hard to develop this bipartisan bill, and I thank them for their work.

The Medicare Opioid Safety Education Act directs the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to include information about the risk of opioid use, potential nonopioid pain management treatments, and other relevant information in the Medicare & You handbook that is published annually.

The Medicare programs provide healthcare coverage to over 58 million users. We want to empower every person on Medicare to be able to have a thoughtful conversation with his or her provider about their prescriptions and the possible alternatives. Education is a big part of what we are doing here.

The Medicare & You handbook is provided to every beneficiary and represents an education point for those on opioids and those who may, in the future, need to have a discussion about pain treatment options with their physician.

We are rightfully seizing upon this opportunity to inform as many people as possible and educate them about the long-term opioid use and misuse. It is always a good thing to do. It is another tool in the toolbox when it comes to beneficiary outreach and education.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 5685.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Energy and Commerce,

Washington, DC, June 7, 2018.

Hon. Kevin Brady,

Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Brady: On May 9 and 17, 2018, the Committee

on Energy and Commerce ordered favorably reported over 50

bills to address the opioid epidemic facing communities

across our nation. Several of the bills were also referred to

the Committee on Ways and Means.

I ask that the Committee on Ways and Means not insist on

its referral of the following bills so that they may be

scheduled for consideration by the Majority Leader:

H.R. 1925, At-Risk Youth Medicaid Protection Act of 2017;

H.R. 3331, To amend title XI of the Social Security Act to

promote testing of incentive payments for behavioral health

providers for adoption and use of certified electronic health

record technology;

H.R. 3528, Every Prescription Conveyed Securely Act;

H.R. 4841, Standardizing Electronic Prior Authorization for

Safe Prescribing Act of 2018;

H.R. 5582, Abuse Deterrent Access Act of 2018;

H.R. 5590, Opioid Addiction Action Plan Act;

H.R. 5603, Access to Telehealth Services for Opioid Use

Disorder;

H.R. 5605, Advancing High Quality Treatment for Opioid Use

Disorders in Medicare Act;

H.R. 5675, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act

to require prescription drug plan sponsors under the Medicare

program to establish drug management programs for at-risk

beneficiaries;

H.R. 5684, Protecting Seniors from Opioid Abuse Act;

H.R. 5685, Medicare Opioid Safety Education Act;

H.R. 5686, Medicare Clear Health Options in Care for

Enrollees (CHOICE) Act;

H.R. 5715, Strengthening Partnerships to Prevent Opioid

Abuse Act;

H.R. 5716, Commit to Opioid Medical Prescriber

Accountability and Safety for Seniors (COMPASS) Act;

H.R. 5796, Responsible Education Achieves Care and Healthy

Outcomes for Users' Treatment (REACH OUT) Act of 2018;

H.R. 5798, Opioid Screening and Chronic Pain Management

Alternatives for Seniors Act;

H.R. 5804, Post-Surgical Injections as an Opioid

Alternative Act; and

H.R. 5809, Postoperative Opioid Prevention Act of 2018.

This concession in no way affects your jurisdiction over

the subject matter of these bills, and it will not serve as

precedent for future referrals. In addition, should a

conference on the bills be necessary, I would support your

request to have the Committee on Ways and Means on the

conference committee. Finally, I would be pleased to include

this letter and your response in the bill reports and the

Congressional Record.

Thank you for your consideration of my request and for the

extraordinary cooperation shown by you and your staff over

matters of shared jurisdiction. I look forward to further

opportunities to work with you this Congress.

Sincerely,

Greg Walden,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Faso), a very capable and able legislator. This is his legislation, in part, and he has been a real leader in this overall effort, and certainly on this piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this very important and bipartisan legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4275) to provide for the development and dissemination of programs and materials for training pharmacists, health care providers, and patients on indicators that a prescription is fraudulent, forged, or otherwise indicative of abuse or diversion, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, the bill before us today is a product of the chairman's hard work and that of our colleague from California (Mr. DeSaulnier).

As the only pharmacist serving in Congress, Mr. Carter understands the need to get fraudulent prescriptions off of our streets and give folks on the front line additional tools to combat the opioid crisis. This is why I know he helped author this bipartisan bill, which will require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and disseminate education materials for pharmacists to better detect, and reject, fraudulent prescriptions.

While law enforcement plays a key role in detecting and stopping fraudulent prescriptions, responsibility ultimately lies with pharmacists, who are licensed healthcare professionals. For this reason, we amended the bill at the committee level to originate the materials at the Department of Health and Human Services as opposed to the Justice Department.

As Mr. Carter has repeatedly said, this bill will complement the DEA's existing efforts, like the Diversion Control Division's Pharmacy Diversion Awareness Conferences held throughout the country, as well as their other meetings, presentations, and seminars.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), a co-author of this legislation, and, as you have heard, our only resident pharmacist. He knows this firsthand, and has brought incredible knowledge and skill to the legislative process.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5197) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a demonstration program to test alternative pain management protocols to limit the use of opioids in emergency departments, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support of H.R. 5197, the Alternatives to Opioids in the Emergency Department Act.

Emergency rooms are uniquely positioned to prevent addiction before it starts through the conservative and judicious prescribing of opioids. By establishing a demonstration program to test alternative pain management protocols to limit the use of opioids in hospital emergency departments, H.R. 5197 places emergency rooms on the front lines of defense against this opioid crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Pascrell and Representative McKinley, along with Representative DeGette and Representative Tipton for leading this important initiative.

Throughout my district in Oregon, I met with victims, families, treatment advocates, medical providers, and law enforcement officers on the front lines of this fight in our communities. That includes Mike Pelfrey of Grants Pass.

The first time I met Mike was at a roundtable in Medford, I think, in southern Oregon. Mike didn't really know anybody in the room. I had invited these folks to come around the table. They were addiction specialists, they were in the treatment programs, and they were law enforcement. I noticed he was there. He had heard the news about our meeting to discuss opioid abuse.

When we had finished going around the table, I said: So what brings you here, sir? And then he told me his family's story.

His son was injured in a school sporting accident and became addicted to the prescription painkillers provided by his medical provider to aid in his recovery.

Eventually, Mike's son made the all-too-familiar transition to a cheaper source. You would know it as heroin. And to this day, his son struggles with his addiction that began with opioid abuse.

Then he went on to talk about his sister, who also suffered from addiction. She was a nurse. His sister found herself with, frankly, a way to get easier access to pills than most. When coworkers and others caught on, she moved and continued her addiction and her ability to procure pills. He said that she died as a result of her addiction.

Mike came to the meeting in hopes that sharing the stories of his son and of his sister could help ensure such tragedies don't happen to other families.

At a more recent meeting I held in southern Oregon, Mike was present once more. During the meeting, Mike urged everyone to make combating the opioid crisis a top priority, saying, ``The only way we are going to do it is address it, do something about it, and make this an everyday part of our thought.''

Well, Mike, this Congress, we have made addressing this scourge an everyday part of our thoughts and efforts, and we will continue to do so no matter how long it takes to rip this terrible menace out of our communities.

We have an extraordinary opportunity to make important progress in this fight with the legislation before us, all of which reflects the feedback we have heard from people like you and from others at roundtables and meetings in our home districts.

Mr. Speaker, I want to say to Mike: You have been heard. We are acting. We are acting on your behalf and on the behalf of so many other Americans and American families who are dealing with this tragedy.

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

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

I want to commend the gentleman for bringing this to our attention with his colleagues. That was part of what we did back on Member Day. I think it was in October. We had 50 Members. I don't recall specifically whether Mr. Pascrell brought it to us there or some other time, but we are taking these real-life experiences from our districts, the things that work, and saying: This works. We know it works. It works in our hospital. It works in our town, and we are saying it can work nationwide.

We are taking ideas, like my friend from New Jersey has brought, Mr. Speaker, to our committee and now to this House floor. We are saying, let's apply this nationwide.

Together, we can overcome this epidemic. We must overcome this epidemic. It is in our ability to do this.

Mr. Speaker, I just say to the gentleman and my friend that we are not done, just as we weren't done 2 years ago when we modernized America's mental health laws. At that point, Mr. Murphy of Pennsylvania was here and gave us great counsel about how to do that. We put money in to deal with opioids then, that and 21st Century Cures that Mr. Upton and Ms. DeGette helped lead the effort on.

I know at NIH they are working day and night, as they are in other institutions, to find a nonaddictive pain management medicine. We wish them Godspeed in that effort, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I again thank my friend from New Jersey for bringing this to us. This is the kind of legislation that will save lives, prevent tragedy. We are going to get it passed here in a bipartisan, unanimous way, I do believe, in a matter of seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my Members to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5587) to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize certain recovery services grants to be used to establish regional technical assistance centers, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers on this matter and would encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5812) to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to carry out certain activities to prevent controlled substances overdoses, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials into the Record on the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, this is our last bill of the day on opioids. This is the 25th piece of legislation that we have worked through, not only our committee, but also now the House floor.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 5812, the CONNECTIONS Act. Now, this legislation enhances and improves state-run prescription drug monitoring programs. These are really, really important. Prescription drug monitoring programs or, as they are known, PDMPs, are useful tools in helping identify and deter drug misuse and diversion. They allow health prescribers to identify patients exhibiting risky behaviors and assist those individuals in getting help.

By strengthening the current efforts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in coordination with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, the CONNECTIONS Act will help make state-run PDMPs more easily accessible, more user-friendly, more accurate, and better integrated across the country.

So I want to thank my colleague from Virginia, Representative Morgan Griffith, a terrific member of our committee, Vice Chair of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, who has done a lot of work investigating pill dumping and patient brokering and the kind of abuses we have seen that have helped to inform our legislation they have done over on the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. He will speak in just a minute.

I want to thank my colleague from New Jersey, Representative Frank Pallone as well, and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania. They have all worked together on this really, really important improvement.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Griffith).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), our resident pharmacist, to speak on the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick), who is a co-author of this very important piece of legislation.

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

In conclusion, I just want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their incredible tenacity, their hard work, bringing from their districts and from the people they represent these ideas to formulate solutions that we are now going to enact into law and move over to the Senate. We will pass them here and move them over to the Senate and eventually into law.

I would also point out that, starting in 2016, 2017, Republicans in this Congress passed CARA, and the 21st Century Cures Act, putting over $1.2 billion into the efforts to combat the opioid epidemic. And then we doubled down, literally and figuratively, and even more than that, I think we have got $4 billion in the latest spending bill directed specifically at opioids, and another couple of billion at mental health services. Both of these are big needs for our communities and for our citizens, both led by Republicans and the Trump administration in terms of this most latest investment in the fight on opioids.

And I know President Trump and the administration do a lot of work on their own through using their executive powers, their administrative powers to address the problems of the opioid epidemic through the various agencies of the Federal Government. Not only are they leading on that, but they are also partnering with our States and our local communities.

We have got to make sure the money that we appropriate gets all the way to the ground, gets into these community organizations that are on the front lines of helping people get into treatment, helping them get the services that they need.

It has record funding going in. It helps when we change these laws to modernize them so that people can get access to the care they need and they deserve, and together, we are going to solve this problem.

It is a big step forward, 25 bills today. We will have more later in this week and another 25 or 30 next week. We know that this is an ongoing challenge for our country. It will be an ongoing effort for our committee.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this particular piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the two World War II veterans and twenty-three Korean War veterans from Oregon who are visiting their memorials on the National Mall on Friday, June 8, 2018, through Honor Flight of Central Oregon. Every time I have the chance to meet one of these heroes, I am reminded of the poignant words of General Dwight D. Eisenhower. In a message to Allied troops just before D-Day, he said, ``The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.''

He was right then, of course, Mr. Speaker. But over seventy years later, liberty-loving people everywhere continue to owe these heroes for their extraordinary service and their incredible stories of sacrifice and bravery on behalf of our country. That's why it is my privilege to include their names in the Record.

The veterans on this Honor Flight from Oregon are as follows: Bill Apgar, Air Force; Bill Jensen, Air Force; Donald Tuter, Air Force; Jim Roppe, Air Force; John Giles, Air Force; Robert Huntington Sr., Air Force; Robert Wolverton Sr., Air Force; Larry Rose, Air Force; Alexander McKenzie, Army; Denny Kane, Army; Fred Hasenoehrl, Army; Jack Donnelly, Army; Lanny Jones, Army; Lester Davis, Army; Michael Craig, Army; Neil Chase, Army; Paul Knox, Army; Ray Davis, Army; Wallace Smith, Army; Arthur Egren Jr., Marine Corps; John Meyer, Marine Corps; Frankie Bowne, Navy; Jim Prentice, Navy; Leonard Zierlin, Navy; and Paul LaFrance, Navy.

These twenty-five heroes join over 200,000 veterans who have been honored through the Honor Flight Network of volunteers nationwide since 2005.

I would also like to recognize the ten guardians traveling on this trip who have also served our country: Fred Beebee, Air Force; Mike Woods, Air Force; Russell Tuter, Air Force; Christine Gittins, Army; Dennis Dorsett, Army; Lee Thorsell, Army; Dane Prevatt, Marine Corps; Duane Wolf, Marine Corps; Clint McAuliffe, Navy; and Jeff Mackey, Navy.

Mr. Speaker, at the height of the Civil War in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln wrote, ``Honor to the Soldier, and Sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country's cause.'' Each of us in this chamber and in this nation should be humbled by the courage of these brave veterans who put themselves in harm's way for our country and way of life. As a nation, we can never fully repay the debt of gratitude owed to them for their honor, commitment, and sacrifice in defense of the freedoms we have today.

My colleagues, please join me in thanking these veterans and the volunteers of Honor Flight of Central Oregon for their exemplary dedication and service to this great country.

Mr. Speaker, I was in small business for 21 years. My wife and I were small-business owners and operators and had to meet a bottom line and pay the bills and all. I know our Speaker was in the accounting world. To me, this is basic accounting and a small business sort of set of principles.

You have money there that can't be spent because it is no longer authorized to be spent. Much of it is being just accumulated. And then somebody comes

in the backdoor and maybe tries to grab a little here and there and spend it on things it is not authorized for or whatever.

But the long and the short of it is that I can speak specifically to the Children's Health Insurance Program, because I have been a big advocate for it. I have voted for it every time it has been up.

As chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I led the effort to not only fully fund children's health insurance for 5 years, but then we were able to do it for 6 years. And, at the end, the package that was sent down to President Trump that he signed into law fully funded children's health insurance for 10 years. That is double the length of time that had ever been done before.

In my own State, that is 122,700 children and moms who are going to get coverage for health insurance. There is now certainty in this program, more than in its entire history--double the certainty.

So that resulted in some funds that were left behind that have been used when we get up against these cliffs and States maybe had overpayments here or there. They needed all this sort of emergency funding, and then there were some other programs, none of which is needed now because we brought certainty to the Children's Health Insurance Program, the longest extension in its history--10 years.

So the authority to use some of these funds expired last year. The authority expired last year. You can't spend it. The remainder of these funds simply aren't necessary, and they sit unused in a contingency fund that has an ample balance.

There has been a question about would this affect enrollment, would this affect beneficiaries. We asked the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that question, and they said, ``CBO estimates that rescinding the unobligated balances would reduce the budget authority by $7 billion but would not affect outlays or the number of individuals with insurance coverage.''

They also say that it does not affect what happens with the States. That is because we did our work. We did our work. Republicans led on this issue time and again. And it is now law. So the Children's Health Insurance Program is fully funded, and kids will have access to insurance and other coverage that extends 10 years.

So what we are doing here is taking surplus money that can't be spent on these programs anymore and is not authorized to be spent on these programs anymore and applying it toward deficit reduction. The lifeline remains strong under this rescissions program. This is just good business practices, and I think it is really important to do.

By the way, the other Republican proposals we have passed in this House have resulted in one of the strongest economies in modern history and 1 million new jobs since the tax cuts took effect.

Mr. Speaker, this is a good process. This is fiscally responsible. I urge passage.

Mr. Speaker, I would thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and our staffs, who worked so hard on this legislation.

I rise to offer my strong support for S. 292, the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research Act of 2018, simply known as the Childhood Cancer STAR Act. The House version of this important legislation was spearheaded by several, including my colleague Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. I would like to thank the gentleman for his leadership on this bipartisan initiative.

Being told your child has cancer is probably every parent's worst nightmare. Even though childhood cancer is rare, it is still the second leading cause of death in children aged 1 to 14. In the last Congress we passed the 21st Century Cures Act. This landmark legislation modernized the Nation's biomedical and innovation infrastructure, and it streamlined the process for how drugs and medical devices are approved so we can get new treatments to patients faster.

And we have invested heavily in the National Institutes of Health through the appropriations process--then and now--recently increasing their budget by $3 billion in the 2018 spending bill, which I supported. The STAR Act builds on these investments and expands the reach of the 21st Century Cures legislation by focusing critical resources to advance both research and treatments for pediatric cancer.

By reauthorizing and modifying the National Childhood Cancer Registry; supporting childhood cancer biorepositories; improving the tracking of cancer in children, adolescents, and young adults; and supporting efforts to improve the pediatric cancer survivorship care, the STAR Act will improve both treatment of children currently battling cancer and the quality of life for the young survivors who have beaten this terrible disease.

So I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. This is good work we are doing here today in a bipartisan way in the United States House of Representatives. We will save lives. We will help families. Especially, we will help these children who are suffering mightily.

Mr. Speaker, today represents the third time this year that the House has considered legislation to deliver hope to patients who are battling terminal diseases. Twice already, a bipartisan majority of Members has supported increasing patient access to investigational drugs through a new pathway outside of the existing expanded access program, and the bill before us today is deserving of that same support.

Thirty-nine States have right-to-try laws, including my home State of Oregon. While the State policies vary, they have a common goal: helping vulnerable patients. President Trump praised the movement during the State of the Union. He said: ``People who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to country to seek a cure. I want to give them a chance here at home.'' Those are the President's words. Since this time, he has continued to feverishly advocate for this legislation.

For today's debate, I believe it is important to understand that it is both

the background of this issue as well as the politics that have brought us back to this floor.

Today, there is an existing process for patients to access unapproved drugs. The FDA oversees the expanded access program, commonly known as compassionate use. This program has been critical in helping patients access experimental or investigative drugs.

As I previously said before in this Chamber, Commissioner Gottlieb and the agency should be commended for their continued work to improve the expanded access program for patients.

To improve this successful program, the bill this Chamber previously passed provides liability protections for manufacturers, sponsors, physicians, clinical investigators, and hospitals that participate in the existing expanded access program and the new alternative pathway created under the legislation. That provision removes one of the biggest hurdles patients face, as identified by the Government Accountability Office, in gaining access to experimental therapies: manufacturer hesitancy to participate. That is the obstacle. That same bill creates a new alternative pathway for patients who do not qualify for a clinical trial.

It is my view that the House-passed bill strengthens patient protections with clearer informed consent and adverse event reporting. The bill also ensures that the FDA is notified when a patient receives an unapproved drug through the new alternative pathway to ensure proper oversight.

But when a strong bipartisan majority of this Chamber, of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mr. Speaker, delivered for patients and answered President Trump's call to give Americans the right to try, leaders in the Senate on the other side of the aisle objected, blocking terminally ill patients from increasing access to investigational drugs. But we will not allow them to play politics to delay this effort any longer. That is why we are here today.

Mr. Speaker, across our great country, men, women, children, and parents are desperately seeking a beacon of hope, and the Senate bill we have before us today will provide it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank President Trump and Vice President Pence for continuing to weigh in on this important issue; and the sponsors of past and current legislation, including Senator Johnson and Representatives Fitzpatrick and Biggs, who are here with us today. They have all been tireless in their advocacy and their efforts for this worthy cause. I am glad to see that, together, we are once again going to deliver.

But, most importantly, I would like to acknowledge the individuals this bill is named after: Trickett, Frank, Jordan, and Matthew. Jordan was here on the House floor the first time we considered right-to-try legislation, and Matthew testified at our hearing last fall. Jordan is back with us today. It is through their advocacy and hope to find a treatment or a cure that we have this chance to give patients the right to try.

Mr. Speaker, it is time for the House to do what the entire United States Senate did and pass this legislation. It is time to send a right-to-try bill to President Trump's desk, where he is eager to sign it.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule and the good work that was done there and the VA MISSION Act, which improves access to care for our veterans, funds the Choice Program, and expands the caregivers program for pre-9/11 veterans.

I would like to thank the chairman and ranking member for their work on this important legislation. I would particularly like to applaud the inclusion of the VA Medical Scribes Pilot Act. This was legislation that I helped write with Chairman Roe to set up a pilot program for including scribes in primary care teams at the VA.

Research in the private sector has shown that allowing scribes to handle electronic health records allows the healthcare providers, the doctors, to do more of what they do best, which is to treat the patients. So we have doctors treating patients rather than spending their valuable time doing paperwork.

Chairman Roe joined me in my district last fall on a tour of the VA clinic in White City, Oregon, where we heard firsthand about the administrative challenges the VA doctors face and how that affects their ability to care for veterans. The underlying bill that we will bring to the floor will help. The entire bill will help. This will help our docs have more time to spend with their patients.

We will continue to work with the VA on their implementation of this program, but I am pleased that it was included in the underlying legislation, Mr. Speaker.

Once again, I applaud the entire Veterans Affairs Committee on their work to give veterans the access to healthcare they have earned and deserve. I urge support and passage of the underlying VA MISSION Act and approval of the rule.

Mr. Speaker, during National Police Week, I would ask all Members to honor the service and sacrifice of those law enforcement officials who have protected our communities and safeguarded our democracy. Police Week is an opportunity for all Americans to express their appreciation for our law enforcement. Every day, federal, state, and local law enforcement officers in Oregon and around the country protect their fellow citizens from harm, keep the peace, and carry out justice.

Today, I would like to honor Sergeant John Lawrence. He began his career with the Deschutes County Sheriffs Office and later served with the Bend Police Department for 10 years. Tragically, Sergeant Lawrence suffered a fatal heart attack following a shift where he responded to a bank holdup alarm. He was just 43 years old when he passed away. He will be remembered as a dedicated officer, a steadfast friend, and a loving husband and father. His service will be memorialized later this week when his name joins more than 21,000 fellow officers as part of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

This week we mourn for the officers we have lost, and stand together in tribute of their service. We must express our sincerest gratitude and appreciation to Sergeant Lawrence's family. His sacrifice will not be forgotten. I am thankful for the service and diligence of law enforcement officers in Oregon's Second District and around the country. Please join me in honoring their service in defense of our freedom and democracy.

Mr. Chairman, first of all, I want to thank the chairman on the Subcommittee on Environment, Mr. Shimkus, whose, I think, life's work is on the floor today in many respects. Nobody has been more tenacious in this effort to get permanent,

safe, and secure nuclear waste storage for America than John Shimkus, and so I thank Mr. Shimkus for his good work there.

The bill we are considering today reinforces the promise that the United States Congress, on behalf of the Federal Government, made to our constituents a generation ago. Today, we are keeping that promise. We will accept responsibility for and properly dispose of radioactive waste.

This is long overdue. Americans across the country, from Maine to southern California, from Florida to the Pacific Northwest, are watching today, and they are expecting us to act.

The Department of Energy's Hanford site is just up the mighty Columbia River from where I live and where I grew up. That area and those workers helped us win World War II, and the site's nuclear program was instrumental in projecting peace through strength throughout the Cold War.

While the community has been a constructive partner in support of our vital national security missions, it did not agree to serve as a perpetual storage site for the resulting nuclear waste. Fifty-six million gallons of toxic waste sitting in decades-old metal tanks at Hanford--these are those tanks that were being constructed to hold this waste. They are now buried in the ground. The only entry point is right here.

The amount of waste stored at Hanford would fill this entire House Chamber 20 times over. According to a recent Government Accountability Office report, the oldest of these tanks, some of which date back to the 1940s, have single-layer walls or shells. They were built to last 20 years. They will be almost 100 years old by the estimated end of their waste treatment.

The Department of Energy has reported that 67 of these tanks are assumed or known to have leaked waste into the soil. There is an understandable sense of urgency in the Northwest behind the cleanup efforts that are under way at Hanford.

H.R. 3053 will provide the pathway to clean up the contaminated Hanford site. You see, the waste from Hanford will end up in a secure permanent storage site that we believe will be Yucca Mountain. These tanks will be drained and cleaned out, the waste classified and put away.

This bill keeps our commitment to energy consumers, too, who are legally bound to pay for a nuclear waste management program. These consumers in 34 States, including Oregon, have paid the Federal Government in excess of $40 billion. Even after the last administration stalled the project, ratepayers continued to hand over nearly $800 million annually to develop the repository, until finally the courts stepped in and directed the fee collection be halted because no repository was being constructed. That money was paid to the U.S. Treasury for a specific purpose. We have a legal and moral obligation to advance the program for which ratepayers paid.

Now, my friends in Nevada should have confidence the Yucca Mountain repository will protect public health and the environment. The completion of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's impartial safety review will answer the many questions raised by the State of Nevada and provide an independent determination if the site meets the required 1- million-year environmental protection standard. That is right, 1 million years.

Consolidating the Nation's nuclear material for disposal is better for the environment than the status quo, where these materials sit around in 121 communities in 39 States, or tanks like this.

The legislation authorizes the Department of Energy to contract with private companies to store nuclear waste while DOE finishes the rigorous scientific analysis of the repository design and the associated Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing process. An interim storage facility can bring added flexibility to DOE's disposal program and may provide a more expeditious near-term pathway to consolidate spent nuclear fuel.

The longer the government delays, the greater the potential consequences. The legal cost of inaction, a bill paid by every American taxpayer, is staggering. Today, taxpayers pay an average of $2 million every day--every day--in legal claims because we as a government have not done what was promised decades ago. We are doing that today with this legislation.

Cumulatively, we are on the hook for nearly $134 billion. That increases every day we delay action. Instead of contributing to an escalating national debt, this money could be better spent to support our men and women in uniform, deal with the opioid crisis, or a whole myriad of other things. By acting today, we will eventually turn off that penalty phase and start the productive phase.

At the end of the day, this bipartisan legislation is good for our communities around the country and their safety. It is good for consumers and fiscal sanity. It is good for the environment for secure storage. It is good for taxpayers, and it is good for national security as well.

So I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have put so much work into this--Mr. Tonko and certainly Mr. Shimkus. I urge all our colleagues to support H.R. 3053. Let's put an end to these tanks before they put an end to us.