Chairman Goodlatte Floor Statement on H.R. 5046, the "Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act of 2016"

Chairman Goodlatte: Today, the United States is in the throes of an epidemic of prescription opioid and heroin abuse.  Every Member of this body has heard a tragic story about a constituent who has become addicted to opioids, and tragically, many have lost their lives to the addiction. The statistics are shocking.  In 2014, 47,055 Americans died from a drug overdose.  Of those deaths, 18,893 were attributable to prescription pain relievers, and 10,574 were related to heroin.  The number of opioids prescribed nearly tripled from 1991 to 2013.  Though the United States has 5% of the world’s population, Americans consume 80% of the global opioid supply.  More than half of chronic prescription drug abusers obtained those pills from prescriptions written for them, or for friends or family members.  And, in 2014, nearly half a million teenagers used prescription painkillers for non-medical purposes. My home state of Virginia is not immune to the ravages of opioid addiction.  In 1999, approximately 23 people died from abuse of fentanyl, hydrocodone, methadone, and oxycodone – the leading prescription opioids abused.  By 2013, that number jumped to 386 prescription opioid deaths, a staggering increase of 1,578%. In 2013 alone, deaths attributed to fentanyl use increased by more than 100%.  Data also shows a sharp rise in heroin deaths in Virginia.  In 2010, 49 deaths were attributed to heroin use.  By 2013, that figure had risen to 213, an increase of 334%. The number of drug overdose deaths in Virginia surpassed the number of traffic fatalities for the first time in 2014. This is a problem that affects Americans in all regions of the country, across all socioeconomic levels, and one that Congress will address with passage of H.R. 5046, the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act of 2016 and other opioid legislation approved by the House this week. H.R. 5046, sponsored by Crime Subcommittee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner, provides resources to states, localities, Indian tribes, and others to help fight the historic problem of opioid abuse.  I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of this bill. H.R. 5046 is an important, reasonable piece of legislation that will do a great deal to combat the opioid epidemic.  It creates a comprehensive opioid abuse reduction program at the Department of Justice, which will direct federal resources for drug abuse programs targeted at the opioid problem within our criminal justice system.  By styling this as a competitive grant program for opioids, this bill will give states and localities maximum flexibility to attack opioid abuse issues unique to their communities. States will be able to use the grant funds for a variety of important criminal justice programs, including alternatives to incarceration, treatment programs for incarcerated individuals, juvenile opioid abuse, investigation and enforcement of drug trafficking and distribution laws, and, significantly, training for first responders in carrying and administering opioid overdose reversal drugs like naloxone. States will also be allowed to enlist nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, in the fight against opioid abuse.  The bill authorizes this new program at $103 million annually over five years. Importantly, the comprehensive grant program created by H.R. 5046 is fully offset in accordance with the House cut-go protocol.  This means that Congress has successfully directed funds to address the opioid epidemic by taking advantage of existing funding streams to Department of Justice grant programs.  The result is no net increase in spending authorizations and no additional burden on the American taxpayer, which is a responsible, good-government approach to this epidemic. H.R. 5046 is thoughtful, historic legislation that, once enacted, will help fulfill Congress’s duty to protect the American people. I urge my colleagues to support this important bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. ###