Paul Tonko: “I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding. I rise in support of H.R. 4981, Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Expansion…”

“I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding. I rise in support of H.R. 4981, Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Expansion and Modernization Act, which I have had the honor of working on with my colleague and friend, Representative Larry Bucshon, in introducing. At the outset, I would like to thank Representative Bucshon and his staff, as well as the hard work of individuals on the committee staff, and our committee leaders, Chairman Upton and Ranking Member Pallone, to get this bill to this point. I would also like to praise my colleague and fellow New Yorker, Representative Brian Higgins, for his introduction and leadership on the TREAT Act, without which we would not be making this progress today. It is no hyperbole to announce that we are in a crisis when it comes to the opioid epidemic sweeping our Nation. More than 47,000 people have died of drug overdoses in 2014--family members, friends, and neighbors within that 47,000, for each and every one of us--a vast majority of which were opioid-related. It is a sign of the times that when you drive down the thruway in my district in upstate New York, instead of billboards advertising for McDonald's or Taco Bell, you see billboards advising to you call 911 in case of an opioid overdose. It is disturbing how quickly this has become the new normal. This crisis has affected our neighbors, our families, and our beloved communities.…”