Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5483, legislation that will direct the Drug Enforcement Agency to take action to allow registered healthcare practitioners to practice telemedicine. I want to thank our Democratic sponsor, Mrs. Bustos from Illinois. If we are to end the cycle of opioid abuse and addiction, more must be done to help provide those suffering with access to treatment. However, I am optimistic that the legislation before us now authored by Representatives Bustos and Carter will offer one way forward to providing more individuals suffering from addiction with access to treatment by enabling the use of telemedicine. Telemedicine offers one opportunity to potentially reach more patients who could not otherwise access treatment, whether due to geographic reasons, provider access issues, financial concerns about in-person treatment, or the stigma of seeking treatment. While DEA has the authority to establish a special registration pathway for purposes of treating a patient via telemedicine, DEA has not acted to do so to date. The Special Registration for Telemedicine Clarification Act of 2018 would direct the Attorney General to issue regulations establishing a special registration process for engaging in the practice of telemedicine within a year of enactment.…”