I want to ask Mr. Gadea about sources of funding for the Prescription Monitoring program.

There have been both civil and criminal prosecutions resulting from the excellent work done by your program.

Even the most, I think, permissive of recommendations would say they are well due for revision in 2015, 5 years later.

Prescription drug overdose has become an epidemic in this country.

At least you will have my commitment to pursue it and I hope it will be a bipartisan initiative because this kind of coordination of information is really essential to protecting veterans.

Over-prescription and overdose of opioids is an epidemic and a scourge in this country.

Thank you. Unfortunately, my time has expired and since Senator Isakson is here and since he is the Chairman, I am going to yield to him and just say I have many more questions.

I led a hearing on Prescription Drug Abuse as Attorney General of the state of Connecticut over a decade ago.

VA providers can now access the State Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), it is not compulsory that they do so?

This is a problem that requires the attention of policymakers from the local to the Federal levels.

In some States, 20 of them...

Providing them with responsible pain treatment is one of our obligations and it ought to be responsible.

But that is not true.

To state it succinctly, you receive no Federal or State funds for the operation of your office?

Even under this new system, will the prescribing providers in the VA system be compelled to provide information to the State prescription monitoring programs, that is the State registries?

Veterans deserve to have the best systems in place for drug delivery as well as information on all options available to them.

I wish to thank my colleague from New Hampshire for her work on this amendment with my office. We have successfully completed language that I think moves us forward in the right direction. I also wish to thank my colleague Senator Sanders…

The role of a prosecutor is not only to obtain convictions but to achieve justice.

I want to thank Ms. Yates and her family again. Thank you for your public service and your willingness to undertake this very, very important responsibility and for your excellent testimony today.

I was assured... that, in effect, Israel will receive all the necessary assistance to make sure that its qualitative edge is not only maintained, but enhanced.

I think the average on mandatory minimums is about an 11-year incarceration.

My own feeling is that we really need to do more research and study on what is effective in deterring wrongdoers.

Let me give you the opportunity to talk about where you think your priorities will be, whether it's human trafficking, or organized crime, or national security, or terrorist threats to this country

We will see a different--do you have more recent data as to what that 17 percent--the equivalent of that 17 percent would be for the next quarter?

I am the guy. I sat there and I tried my best to honor the intent of Congress.