On the recordMay 12, 2016
Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my colleague's amendment to this important bill. This amendment would make sure that rural and tribal areas receive the funding they need to combat the growing drug use epidemic. My district is very rural. My district also has two of the five counties in the entire State that have the highest rates of unintentional painkiller overdoses. In 2014, Oklahoma had the 10th highest drug overdose rate in the Nation and more people died from unintentional overdoses than in car crashes. Rural areas have some of the highest overdose death rates in the entire country, and this is a growing epidemic. We must ensure that these rural areas are getting the tools they need. This is why I am offering this amendment with my colleagues, Mr. Israel and Mr. McKinley, to ensure that rural and tribal areas receive the proper Federal drug abuse prevention efforts they deserve. I urge all my colleagues to support this amendment.
