Day 48.1 Unsealed Indictments - Ft. Belvoir Smuggler's Cove?

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CONYERS & PALLONE: Trump's Opioid Announcement Is Meaningless Without Additional Funding

Washington, D.C. – Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Judiciary Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI) today released the following statement in response to President Trump’s declaration that our nation’s opioid crisis is a public health emergency:

“President Trump’s announcement today falls far short of the recommendations of his own commission, and is essentially meaningless because it does not provide any new funding to fight an epidemic that is killing 91 Americans every day.  The opioid crisis continues to grow, cutting lives short, tearing families apart and leaving people in communities all around our nation with few places to turn as they struggle to find treatment."

“Despite his previous claims that the opioid crisis is a ‘national emergency,’ the President’s announcement today does not unleash the financial resources necessary to end this epidemic.  Instead it simply allows the federal agencies to shift already limited resources away from other public health programs.  This is not the way to fight an epidemic of this magnitude.”

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Statement of the Honorable John Conyers, Jr. for the Hearing on “Treating the Opioid Epidemic: The State of Competition in the Markets for Addiction Medicine” Before the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jt.

Sudden and sharp increases in the cost of life-saving prescription medications have caused much public outcry, most recently regarding the substantial spike in the price of EpiPen, which is used to treat life-threatening allergic reactions. 

Although today’s hearing focuses on competition in the markets for a particular set of life-saving drugs -- namely, those that treat opioid addiction -- I hope that there are some broader lessons that we can draw from our discussion today. 

To that end, I would like our witnesses to address the following issues. 

To begin with, the witnesses should discuss the real-life consequences of the opioid addiction epidemic and the impact of rising prices for medications that treat opioid addiction.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 28,000 deaths in 2014 resulting from opioid overdoses.   In fact, 6 out of 10 drug overdose deaths that year resulted from opioid overdoses.

Medications like Naloxone revive an opioid overdose victim in the critical moments after he or she has stopped breathing as a result of an overdose.

Yet the price of this drug, in both its generic and branded forms, has skyrocketed in recent years, according to public health and police officials. 

Prices for the drug have increased by 50% or more, according to some reports.  As a result, the ability of emergency responders and individuals to purchase this critical life-saving medication is being jeopardizes.

Other generic and branded medicines that are designed to gradually wean addicts from their opioid use have also seen similar price increases.

As the statistics demonstrate, addressing the consequences of these price increases is no mere academic matter.  It is beyond dispute that such price increases have had a devastating impact on patients, their families, insurers, first responders, and health care providers.

In addition, I would like the witnesses to consider whether current law strikes a proper balance between incentivizing investment in new pharmaceutical products and ensuring vigorous competition.

Under both our patent and regulatory systems, manufacturers of brand-name drugs are entitled to temporary exclusivity periods for their products during which other firms are prevented from offering competing products.

These exclusivity periods are designed to provide an economic incentive for manufacturers to invest in developing new products, but the result is that prices for brand-name drugs remain high.

After the exclusivity periods end, competition in the form of the introduction of generic versions of the brand-name drug, is supposed to lead to decreases in drug prices.

Indeed, the availability of generics is the primary means of ensuring competition and lower prices in pharmaceutical markets.

Nevertheless, there is a concern that some brand-name manufacturers have manipulated the current patent and regulatory regimes to extend what are supposed to be their time-limited monopolies.

We should explore whether there should be a better balance.

Finally, the witnesses should address the factors responsible for the skyrocketing cost of generic opioid addiction drugs and the actions that Congress should take in response.

Prices for almost all opioid addiction medicines have risen, not just those for brand-name products.

This situation undermines the competition-based rationale for encouraging generics to enter the market in the first place.

We in Congress need to focus on constructive ways to respond to this problem.

So, I accordingly look forward to hearing any thoughtful suggestions from our witnesses today and I thank them for their participation.

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Statement of the Honorable John Conyers, Jr. for the Conference Committee on S. 524, the “Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act”

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

The crisis of opioid abuse and addiction clearly requires our immediate attention. 

In my state of Michigan, for example, there were 1,745 drug overdose deaths in 2014.  And, more than half of those overdose deaths were caused by opioids and heroin.  Each day, 78 Americans die from an opioid overdose.

Fortunately, we now have better ways of addressing issues of addiction, and we know that incarceration is not the answer.

We know that there are effective ways to get addicts to treatment and to quickly provide them with needed services that address their addiction and prevent recidivism.  And, we know that evidence-based treatment and alternatives to incarceration work.

Title 2 of this bill reflects much of this approach in the grant program as reported by the Judiciary Committee and passed by the House. 

While I have supported this effort, I have also supported alternative approaches that would provide separate grant programs for many of these worthy purposes. 

But, regardless of which approach this conference committee adopts, we must do more than simply authorize funding. 

We must provide real dollars that are urgently needed by those fighting this crisis. 

To emphasize this, I ask consent to enter into the record a letter that police chiefs participating in the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative sent to us urging that we provide $1.1 billion in increased funding to address this issue.  

That will be the true measure of success of this legislative effort.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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Ahead Of Public Meeting Wednesday, Democratic CARA Conferees Call For Addition Of Real Funding To Combat Opioid & Heroin Addiction

 

WASHINGTON (Tuesday, July 5, 2016) – Ahead of Wednesday’s public meeting of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) conference committee, Democratic conferees are urging their Republican counterparts to support the addition of $920 million fully paid for by bipartisan offsets for states to provide critical resources to respond to the nation’s opioid and heroin epidemic.

In a letter to Conference Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), all House and Senate Democratic conferees noted that the savings identified in the letter have recently received strong bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate, and similar funding levels for combatting opioid addiction were included in the president’s FY2016 budget request.  A coalition of 182 organizations representing medical experts, first responders, and local government has called on conferees to put real resources in the CARA bill, as this proposal would do.

The Democratic Conferees noted that “While the scope and urgency of the opioid crisis would justify this investment being considered emergency spending, we are willing to put Federal budget savings on the table, demonstrating that there is no excuse for inaction when it comes to funding for treatment and prevention of opioid addiction.”

They added: “Accordingly, we will not sign a conference report that does not include significant funding that reflects the seriousness of the epidemic and provides meaningful support to these important priorities.”

The letter was signed by Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in the Senate; and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), Education and Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas), Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.), Rep. Ann Kuster (D-N.H.), and Rep. Raul Ruiz M.D. (D-Calif.) in the House.

Representative Fred Upton Opioid Conference Committee Letter 2016 07 05 by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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CONYERS Lauds House Passage of Bill to Help Combat Opioid Epidemic & Save Lives

Conyers: “This Legislation Has the Power to Fortify America’s Fight against the Opioid Abuse Epidemic”

Washington, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13), today applauded House passage of H.R. 5046, the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act of 2016 which passed by a vote of 413-5. The Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act of 2016 authorizes $103 million per year from Fiscal Year 2017 through 2021 for the creation of the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant Program. The program would provide competitive grants to states and local governments to expand services that address the growing rate of opioid abuse and overdose deaths.

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“I’m pleased the House passed this important legislation which is intended to help state and local governments pursue a broad-based approach against the current crisis of heroin and opioid abuse,” said Ranking Member Conyers. “The Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act of 2016 is a positive step in the right direction to address the opioid epidemic.  I am heartened that the bill embraces innovative approaches to drug abuse, such as treatment alternatives to incarceration, and I look forward to continued work in Congress so that we may soon enact legislation that comprehensively addresses this issue.”

Opioid overdose is now a leading cause of death in the United States. On average, 78 Americans die from an opioid overdose every day. In 2014 alone, more than 1,745 people died from drug overdoses in Michigan.

The Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act of 2016 would help states and local governments provide educational services, treatment and prevention programs, alternatives to incarceration, as well as programs to prevent and address juvenile opioid abuse. The legislation would also help expand the use of opioid overdose reversal drugs; and help coordinate services amongst service providers.

Ranking Member Conyers spoke on the House floor in support of the legislation shortly before it passed the House. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

Statement of the Honorable John Conyers, Jr. in Support of H.R. 5046, the “Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act of 2016”

Learn more: BEVERLY TRAN: Statement of the Honorable John Conyers, Jr. in Support of H.R. 5046, the “Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act of 2016” http://beverlytran.blogspot.com/2016/05/statement-of-honorable-john-conyers-jr_12.html#ixzz48aklq6mA
Stop Medicaid Fraud in Child Welfare 

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Statement of the Honorable John Conyers, Jr. in Support of H.R. 5046, the “Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act of 2016”

I am pleased to rise in support of H.R. 5046, the “Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act of 2016.” H.R. 5046 is an important complement to a wide-range of legislation being considered in the House this week that is aimed at combating the devastating impact of drug abuse and addiction that is afflicting communities across our Nation.  

We are in the midst of a major public health crisis caused by prescription and opioid abuse.  It is a crisis that affects Americans of all ages, races, and income levels in our cities, suburbs, and rural areas across the United States. 

Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death in our Nation. In my state of Michigan, for example, there were 1,745 drug overdose deaths in 2014.  And, more than half of those overdose deaths were attributed to opioids and heroin.

In fact, 78 Americans die from an opioid overdose every day. I am very familiar with the devastation heroin can exact over people and their communities.

Heroin took a deadly toll on Detroit in the 1970’s and is now threatening to take hold of a new generation of addicts.  Armed with lessons learned from that era and the crack epidemic of the 1980’s, we are wiser and more capable. This time, we can and must do more to respond to this crisis.

Fortunately, a number of states have undertaken various innovative measures to better respond to the rapid increase of individuals addicted to prescription opioids and heroin and to prevent individuals from dying as a result of drug overdose.

For instance, the Judiciary Committee’s Crime Subcommittee held a hearing last year that examined, among other things, the promising use of the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion approach employed in cities such as Seattle and Santa Fe.

We have learned that there are successful ways to get addicts to treatment and to provide them with needed services quickly that help to address their addiction and prevent recidivism. 

And, we know that evidence-based treatment and treatment alternatives to incarceration work.

The Comprehensive Opioid Addiction Recovery Program, as authorized by H.R. 5046, would establish a competitive grant program to provide funds to state and local governments to continue and improve their efforts to protect Americans from the dangers of opioid and heroin abuse and to make sure that addicts have access to the services that are provided.

Funds from the new grant program could be used for the following purposes:

·         Treatment alternatives to incarceration.

·         Collaboration between state criminal justice agencies and state substance abuse systems.

·         For first responders to purchase and be trained in using Naloxone.

·         Medication assisted treatment programs by criminal justice agencies.

·         Investigating the illegal distribution of opioids.

·         Prescription drug monitoring programs.

·         Addressing juvenile opioid abuse.

·         And for comprehensive opioid abuse response programs. 

Our communities need our assistance in meeting the threat of opioid abuse, and this bill will fund innovative approaches to the problem, such as the LEAD program developed in Seattle that I mentioned earlier.  

H.R. 5046 would go a long ways toward providing that critical help.

Accordingly, I support this bill and I reserve the balance of my time.

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