Annie Kuster: “I applaud my colleagues for passage of my three amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act last night. Two of…”

“I applaud my colleagues for passage of my three amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act last night. Two of my amendments would address our Nation's opioid crisis as it impacts or Nation's servicemembers and veterans. They would direct the Defense Department to study the effectiveness of their opioid prescriber education policies and require Department providers to counsel or give referrals to the VA for transitioning veterans that suffer from addiction or chronic pain. My third amendment would direct the Department of Defense to analyze sexual coercion in the military as part of its annual report on sexual assault. While I commend the Department for their progress in reducing the occurrence of sexual assault in the military, more work needs to be done. Understanding sexual coercion is important to the safety of our brave men and women, and important for our national security. ____________________”