Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to be here today for the opportunity to speak on this bipartisan, commonsense bill to provide much-needed modernization and updates of the Coastal Barrier Resources System maps. I thank Chairman Bishop for his work throughout this process, as well as my colleague on the other side of the aisle, my friend, Representative Blunt Rochester, for her work on this issue as well.

The Coastal Barrier Resources Act, signed into law in 1982, is meant to preserve our Nation's barrier islands by barring Federal funds and financial assistance from being used there, which therefore disincentivizes development. This bill maintains these protections for our Nation's barrier islands while simply providing for more precise digital maps to distinguish the CBRA zones.

For decades, some of my constituents throughout the Second District of Florida have been burdened by being erroneously included in the CBRA zones. In some cases, this is due to the width of the pencil marks outlining the boundaries on the original outdated, hand-drawn maps. This was unacceptable in 1982, and it is outrageous in 2018.

Now, more than ever, in the wake of one of the most devastating hurricanes in American history, a lack of access to Federal resources is particularly debilitating for residents in coastal communities across the Florida panhandle. This means no flood insurance, no FEMA assistance, or no SBA loans. Being included in the CBRA zones actually precludes the use of the funds from the BP oil spill in 2010.

I am grateful that this bill will provide a remedy for some people who are dealing with these unnecessary burdens.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I encourage the Senate to take it up before the end of Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a life that was lost too soon. Florida National Guard Specialist Robert Allen Wise of Tallahassee was killed in Baghdad when a roadside bomb detonated in November 2003. He was the First Florida National Guardsmen killed in action to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Specialist Wise chose to selflessly serve our country at 17 years old. He was enrolled at Tallahassee Community College, when he answered the call to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom. When his father asked him if he was sure he wanted to go, Wise told his father ``I would rather face them there than here.''

Specialist Wise was known to his family and friends for his contagious laugh, infectious smile, and unwavering sense of duty to his country.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring Specialist Robert A. Wise and all of our fallen heroes who gave `the last full measure of devotion' to this country to make Americans safe at home and abroad.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Frank Edward Christie who passed away August 19, 2018, at the age of 96.

Frank Christie lived a life of service to the American people--from his time on the beaches of Okinawa and Leyte Gulf to his passion for education back home, and dedication to his church.

In 1943, Mr. Christie enlisted in the U.S. Army and would later be awarded two Purple Hearts and the Silver and Bronze stars for Valor in Action for his heroic actions as a medic during World War II.

During his 35-year education career, Mr. Christie left his imprint across the states of Georgia and Florida. He served as the Terrell County school superintendent in Dawson, GA and would go on to help start the Terrell County Recreational Program. Through his service to the school system, Mr. Christie was at the forefront of a peaceful and successful desegregation of the public schools during the mid-sixties.

On Sundays, you would find Mr. Christie and his wife singing in their church choir. For 26 years, Mr. Christie served as the Song Leader at his last church home in Alligator Point, Florida--Mission-By-The-Sea.

Frank Edward Christie will be missed by many. May his service to our country always be remembered and venerated and may he rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an outstanding member of the Second Congressional District of Florida, Ms. Lynetta Griner. Ms. Griner was recently named the 2018 Florida Farmer of the Year. This designation makes her a finalist for the Southeast Regional Farmer of the Year Award.

Ms. Griner owns and operates Usher Land and Timber Inc. in Levy County, specializing in timber and cattle production. In 2013, she was named Florida's Woman of the Year in Agriculture and she was the first female president of the Florida Forestry Association.

Ms. Griner also served on the Suwannee River Management District's governing board for 14 years and with her family, she has raised more than $1 million for the Children's Miracle Network at the University of Florida Health Shands Children's Hospital.

In 2017, she was one of 15 farmers and ranchers from across the country to participate in an agriculture roundtable hosted by President Trump at the White House. Lynetta is a champion for Florida agriculture, and has dedicated her life to giving back to her community.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating Ms. Lynetta Griner, Florida's 2018 Farmer of the Year, and thanking her for her years of service to Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Rear Admiral John E. Dombroski. Admiral Dombroski passed away July 1, 2018 and left a legacy of service to God, country, and family that we all should aspire to emulate. The Admiral was raised in Beacon Falls, Connecticut, graduated from Trinity College in 1967, and attended Cornell Law School.

He entered the United States Navy in 1969 and served on the USS Moale where he earned qualification as the combat information center officer, and subsequently served on USS Luiseno as executive officer. Admiral Dombroski served in a variety of posts in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, culminating his exceptionally distinguished career as the Chief Judge of the Navy-Marine Corps, Court of Criminal Appeals.

Admiral Dombroski and his wife Julie Ann eventually settled in Tallahassee, Florida. He continued to live a life of service as a Rotarian and dedicated member of Saint Peter's Anglican Cathedral, where he dedicated time to instruct weekly men's bible study classes in his home. Loved and cherished by family and friends, highly decorated by his nation, and honored by all those with whom he came in contact, Rear Admiral John E. Dombroski dedicated his life to the mission of leaving this world better than he found it. Admiral Dombroski is survived by his wife Julie Ann, their daughter Christine Jecko and her husband Sean, and his son Matthew and his wife, Tori. He was a devoted grandparent to Ann, Jonathan, and Savannah, and a loving brother to his sister, Andrea Redden.

The Admiral was a giant of a man and his presence will be missed. Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring Rear Admiral John E. Dombroski for his life of service to God and man.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 375.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate an exceptional member of the Air Force on his retirement from government service: Mr. Herman Bell. Herman will retire this week as the chief of public affairs of Tyndall Air Force Base, capping a career of more than 46 years of government service.

Herman enlisted in the Air Force in 1972 and retired as a master sergeant in 1993. He has served in the 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office since that time. His keen leadership over the last 25 years at Tyndall and the many years

before that on Active Duty is a testament to the core values instilled in all those who serve in our Air Force.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in saying thank you to Herman Bell and to his family for their years of service and sacrifice, and wish them luck as they move on to a new chapter in life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the heroic efforts of Suwannee County Sheriff's Deputy Troy Wadford earlier this month.

On June 4, Deputy Wadford was off duty and traveling with his family when he witnessed a horrible car accident. He immediately took action and administered aid to one of the drivers who was pinned in an overturned car.

His quick thinking and response saved Destiny Romine that day. As you can see here, Destiny is on the road to recovery because of Deputy Wadford.

Even when our law enforcement personnel are off duty, they carry out their commitment to protect and serve. They jump into action and they put their lives on the line to keep us safe, and for that, we will all be forever grateful.

I thank Deputy Wadford and all those who wear the badge. His actions reflect great credit on the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office and exemplify the best in America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the hardworking people of Eastpoint, Florida, who lost their homes, their belongings, and even their livelihoods to a devastating fire this week.

This past weekend a fire broke out in Franklin County, which destroyed more than 40 homes and almost 1,000 acres. My heart goes out to those whose lives have been forever changed by this horrible and unexpected wildfire. My office stands ready to assist them in any way we can.

Thank you to all of our first responders, volunteer firefighters, and local law enforcement for your heroic efforts in containing this blaze. Your quick actions saved many lives.

Thank you also to Franklin County Sheriff, A. J. ``Tony'' Smith, Franklin County Emergency Management Director Pam Brownell, local community leaders, the Salvation Army, and the American Red Cross, all of whom stepped up and provided aid and comfort to those who need it the most.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in praying for the victims and their families during this time of loss.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment to H.R. 6. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak about it.

My amendment strikes language that would expand the classes of healthcare workers who would be authorized to dispense narcotics for narcotic treatment.

Let me be clear at the outset. H.R. 6 is, in large part, a great bill; however, as currently written, it allows nurse specialists, nurse midwives, and nurse anesthetists to prescribe buprenorphine. I believe this is a significant and impulsive expansion of prescribing authority.

Allowing more providers with less clinical experience to provide buprenorphine, a highly addictive opioid, opens up dangerous new potential for increased opioid abuse. The point of H.R. 6 is to decrease opioid abuse, but this provision increases the potential for abuse and vastly increases the supply of a dangerous opioid that is one of the major causes of opioid overdose and death in Europe.

Mr. Chair, I appreciate the opportunity to bring these concerns to light in this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I include in the Record a letter in support of my amendment from The OTP Consortium.

The OTP Consortium,

June 19, 2018.

Hon. Greg Walden,

Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Hon. Kevin Brady,

Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Hon. Frank Pallone, Jr.,

Ranking Member, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Hon. Richard Neal,

Ranking Member, Committee on Ways and Means, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairmen Walden and Brady and Ranking Members Pallone

and Neal: On behalf of the Opioid Treatment Program (OTP)

Consortium we would like to offer our support for H.R. 6, the

Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid

Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities

Act. In particular, we strongly support Section 207 which

would provide Medicare beneficiaries with lifesaving

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder

(OUD) in the highly-effective OTP setting. This policy was

introduced by Ranking Member Neal and Congressman George

Holding as part of H.R. 5776, the Medicare and Opioid Safe

Treatment (MOST) Act of 2018. The OTP Consortium is comprised

of nearly 350 OTPs across the country that provide care to

more than 140,000 patients daily in 37 states, including at

our 22 facilities in Massachusetts, 16 facilities in Texas,

nine facilities in Oregon, and two facilities in New Jersey.

OTPs are highly-regulated, highly-structured, comprehensive

treatment programs that provide MAT--which the National

Institutes of Health states is the most effective solution to

treat OUD. OTPs are the only provider where patients are

guaranteed to receive MAT--including individual and group

counseling, random toxicology screens, medication, and other

supportive services such as case management, primary care,

mental health services, HIV and Hepatitis C testing and more.

Medicare beneficiaries have the highest and fastest growing

rate of OUD, yet they do not currently have coverage for the

most effective form of treatment--H.R. 6 provides such

coverage. More than 300,000 Medicare beneficiaries have been

diagnosed with OUD--your legislation could end up saving

their lives and many more. Medicare hospitalizations due to

complications caused by opioid abuse or misuse increased 10%

every year from 1993 to 2012--your bill would help reverse

this alarming trend.

We do, however, have concerns about the policies contained

in Section 303. While we are pleased that the 275-patient

threshold was not codified, we do not support expanding or

making permanent buprenorphine prescribing authority to non-

physician providers before policymakers can fully analyze the

data resulting from the critical questions asked in

subsection (e). Americans need effective treatment and

decades of evidence and outcomes show that medication simply

assists the other treatment interventions. Medication should

never be the sole aspect of treating SUD--thus the term

Medication-Assisted Treatment. Office-based practices that

focus on medication alone run the risk of becoming the next-

generation pill mill. We hope that Congress will revisit

office-based buprenorphine prescribing thresholds once this

quality assessment has been completed and it can be

determined whether or not patients are indeed truly receiving

MAT in these settings. Improving access to buprenorphine is

important, but it must be paired with the evidence-based MAT

services that are proven to lead to recovery.

We support H.R. 6 and stand ready to work with you see that

this critical Medicare OTP benefit is signed into law,

without delay.

Sincerely,

Peter Morris,

Division President, Acadia Healthcare.

Alex Dodd,

CEO, Aegis Treatment Centers, LLC.

David White, Ph.D.,

CEO, BayMark Health Service.

Jay Higham,

CEO, Behavioral Health Group.

John Steinbrun,

CEO, New Season.

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

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe), the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Marshall).

Mr. Chair, buprenorphine was introduced in Finland in 1997, and now it has become the most widely-abused opioid in that country. Buprenorphine can kill people. It does kill people. And office-based practices involving merely prescribing buprenorphine run a large risk of harming patients, not helping them to recover.

In closing, I want to thank you for working with me on this amendment, and I thank Chairman Walden for his gracious commitment to continue to examine.

I yield back the balance of my time

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw my amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Tom Neubauer, the recipient of the 2018 Defense Community Leadership Award.

Tom is a highly respected leader of the defense community in Florida and a personal friend of mine back in Bay County, which is my home.

Tom has been the leading communicator between our military and civilian communities for as long as I can remember. He was instrumental in bringing the MQ-9 Reaper Wing to Tyndall Air Force Base and worked tirelessly to support and protect the Military Mission Line.

Both Tom and his wife, Margaret, are Air Force brats. Their love for our soldiers, sailors, and airmen shines through in all that they do. Tom has been building better relations and a

tighter sense of community between military and civilian communities not only in Bay County, but throughout Florida and the Nation.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating Tom Neubauer on receiving this prestigious award and thanking him for his work for military communities throughout this country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Panama City, Florida, native Major General Patrick D. Sargent for assuming command of the U.S. Army Health Readiness Center of Excellence at Fort Sam Houston.

I had the pleasure of meeting General Sargent last year in Washington. He has had a decorated Army career, serving our country for more than three decades.

He grew up in Bay County and attended Florida State University before joining the Army in 1985.

General Sargent is board certified in healthcare administration, and he is a medevac pilot. He has been a leader in providing healthcare to our troops for many years.

He was in charge of all medical care in Iraq as the Commander of the Medical Task Force Iraq. In his own words, he has worked to bring humanity to the battlefield, and I believe he will brilliantly continue that work in his new post.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating Major General Patrick Sargent on his new posting.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank my colleagues in the House for standing up and recognizing that we must get serious about the opioid epidemic that is plaguing America.

In 2016, more than 42,000 Americans died from opioid overdose, almost 5,000 in Florida alone. We can no longer be satisfied with lip service about this problem.

Over the next 2 weeks, we will be voting to crack down on the flow of dangerous synthetic drugs through our postal system and strengthen support systems for those who are battling addiction.

We will give our law enforcement the tools they need to get these drugs out of our communities and increase medical research on alternatives to opioid pain medication. Police and community leaders in my district have made it clear: They need our help.

It is time to tackle the opioid epidemic head-on, and I believe we are finally committed to doing exactly that.

I urge all my colleagues to support these bipartisan bills.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill.

Providing robust funding to the VA is a step in the right direction to ensure our veterans receive the best possible care.

This legislation increases funding to the VA to the highest level ever. That funding will go towards providing for America's heroes. We are increasing funding for homeless veterans' services, mental healthcare, suicide prevention, opioid abuse, traumatic brain injury research and treatments, and rural health initiatives, just to name a few.

As the son of an Army family and an Army surgeon, I have seen firsthand many issues that our veterans face. As chairman of the VA Subcommittee on Health, I am working to instill real changes at the VA. This means better care for our men and women who have served our Nation.

Funding these important initiatives is a crucial part of repaying those who fought for our freedoms. I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Brad and Sue Penney, and congratulate them on retiring after 30 years of service to the Levy County School system. Brad and Sue both began their careers at Cedar Key School in 1988, the very school that they are retiring from on May 31st. They have led a life of service to Levy County and represent the best of America.

Sue spent her career instilling a love of books and reading in students in the library and media center. She also served as a substitute teacher, assisting teachers and students of all ages. She went above and beyond for her students over the years, serving as a class and club sponsor, track coach, and cheerleading coach. She received ESP of the Year for the second time this year.

Brad began his career as the janitor, moving into the roles of physical education teacher, and computer lab specialist. He then went back to school to earn his teaching degree; going on to teach history, social sciences, and Spanish. Throughout his time in education, he also served as the track and basketball coach, as well as Athletic Director and Assistant Principal. He was awarded Teacher of the Year, as well as Teacher of the District in 2006-2007.

Brad and Sue have 4 daughters, all of whom graduated from the same school where they teach.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating Sue and Brad Penney on their retirement and thanking them for their dedication to enriching the lives of students across the Second District of Florida.