The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“OPIOID CRISIS EPIDEMIC” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H3990 on July 30, 2020.
The Department is one of the oldest in the US, focused primarily on law enforcement and the federal prison system. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, detailed wasteful expenses such as $16 muffins at conferences and board meetings.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
OPIOID CRISIS EPIDEMIC
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio
(Mr. Joyce) for 5 minutes.
Mr. JOYCE of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to appear before you today.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring awareness to the public health crisis that continues to devastate communities in Ohio and across the country while we grapple with the unprecedented challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic--the opioid crisis.
I have been proud of Congress' bipartisan work over the past several years to not only advance recovery and treatment efforts, but also to prevent the trafficking of lethal, illicit opioids, like fentanyl. I was even prouder when, in 2018, those efforts resulted in our Nation's first decline in drug overdose deaths in nearly 30 years. Tragically, our progress is slipping away.
The CDC's preliminary 2019 overdose death data shows that fatal overdoses hit a record high last year, accounting for the deaths of 70,980 Americans. More than half of those deaths, 36,500 to be exact, involved synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl. In total, 37 States saw their number of fatal overdoses increase or remain stable from 2018.
That deadly trend is ongoing this year as the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact the mental health and economic security of Americans across the country. An analysis released by the White House last month found that overdose deaths were up 11.4 percent from January to April this year when compared with the same period in 2019.
Mr. Speaker, these are more than just statistics. These are real people--mothers and fathers, sons and daughters--and their deaths are causing real pain in communities across our Nation. Back home, a young man who had been sober for nearly 2 years--2 years--relapsed after the pandemic began and the place where he worked had to close its doors. Michael died at the end of March at just 31 years old, with both fentanyl and carfentanil in his system.
I saw Michael's mom, Cathy, on the local news the other night speaking out about her son's death, trying to bring awareness to not only the lack of attention focused on the opioid crisis right now, but the limited resources available to combat addiction during this pandemic and the continued rise of synthetic opioids, like those found in Michael's system when he died.
We have to act now to stop this crisis in its tracks. We have to redouble our efforts now if we want to prevent other families from enduring the same kind of loss that Michael's family is currently suffering. Having met with those on the front lines of the opioid crisis in my district, ranging from drug court judges to directors of rehab facilities to law enforcement officers on local drug task forces, I know that battling this epidemic requires an all-of-the-above approach that includes prevention and education efforts, promotes treatment, cracks down on illegal distribution, and enhances resources for first responders and law enforcement.
That is why I introduced the Comprehensive Opioid Program Extension Act. My bill, better known as the COPE Act, would help us implement an all-of-the-above approach by increasing the authorized resources available for the Department of Justice's comprehensive opioid abuse program. These grants will help local communities battle the opioid epidemic by:
Providing training and resources for first responders on opioid overdose reversal drugs and devices, like Narcan;
Improving collaboration between State criminal justice agencies and substance abuse agencies;
Enhancing law enforcement efforts to combat the illegal distribution of opioids;
And developing or expanding programs to prevent youth opioid abuse, drug take-back initiatives, or for treatment alternatives to incarceration.
The harsh reality is that everyone in this Chamber knows someone who has been impacted by this opioid crisis.
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With the coronavirus pandemic already causing an increase in fatal overdoses from last year's record high, action is long overdue.
We must advance legislative solutions that allow Democrats and Republicans to join together in a bipartisan effort to defeat this opioid crisis. I stand ready to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find a bipartisan solution like the COPE Act that will help us stop the opioid crisis from causing more death, wreaking more havoc, and resulting in more tragedy.
This crisis has been breaking apart families and threatening the safety of our communities for far too long, and the American people are ready for us to help them stop it.
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