Ted Budd: “I want to first thank my friend from Kentucky for his leadership on this bill. The THRIVE Act is an important piece of…”

“I want to first thank my friend from Kentucky for his leadership on this bill. The THRIVE Act is an important piece of legislation, and I am proud to cosponsor it. The National Institute on Drug Abuse has found that we lose about 115 Americans each and every day to the opioid crisis. These are our brothers, our sisters, our friends, and our coworkers. This is a national crisis, and inaction just won't change a single thing. I have met with a number of people back home who told me that we need to think about more than just the prevention and the treatment stage of the opioid crisis, and they are exactly right. When you hear people tell me this, it reminds me of a conversation I had recently with David Kessler, who lives in my district and started an organization called GRIP It based in Mocksville. Group classes, one- on-one coaching, and assistance with detox programs are just three of the things that this group offers. David has found evidence of a ``cultural method'' that works, and it goes to show us that there are many different things that we could be trying. {time} 1400 This brings me to the bill that we are voting on today, the THRIVE Act, which is part and parcel of this approach. It would expand housing options for individuals who are transitioning out of addiction treatments and require continued support. This is exactly the kind of policy that we need to be considering.…”