Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5892, a bill I am proud to have cosponsored with Representative Lewis. I thank Congressman Lewis, as well as the Education and the Workforce Committee, for their hard work on this bill. Madam Speaker, Pennsylvania has the fourth highest rate of death due to drug overdoses in the Nation, and northeastern Pennsylvania, where I represent, has one of the highest rates of fatal drug overdoses in our State. Beyond the statistics are stories of broken families and broken dreams, due to the addiction to and the abuse of these drugs. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that approximately 91 deaths from opioid overdoses occur every day in our Nation. This epidemic breaks our hearts. But it also hurts our economy. An estimated 20 percent of men's and 25 percent of women's decline in labor force participation between 1999 and 2015 can be attributed to the increase in opioid prescriptions. This is a public health and economic crisis that we have to address right now. That is why I am so pleased to see the House taking up this legislation. Establishing this advisory council to study the impacts of opioid abuse on the workplace is essential to understanding how damaging this epidemic is, both to individuals and communities. We know that we must confront this epidemic on all fronts. It is a bill that is an important step towards helping those dealing with substance abuse remain in the workforce.…”