Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Partnership Grants to Strengthen Families Affected by Parental Substance Abuse Act. I applaud Mr. Davis for all of the excellent work he has done on this issue. Most substantiated child abuse and neglect cases involve substance abuse by a parent or a guardian. This is something we are seeing all too often in places like my home State of South Dakota. Substance abuse, especially alcohol and meth, result in far too many instances of child abuse, domestic abuse, and other kinds of violent crime and behavior. Historically, a lack of coordination and collaboration has hindered the ability of those working in the fields of child welfare and substance abuse, and even the courts, from fully supporting families in substance abuse crisis. Families involved with child welfare have complex needs. No two cases are alike. It is for this reason that improving outcomes for parents and children require a coordinated effort among all systems. This bill strengthens the Regional Partnership Grants program, which provides funding to State and regional grantees seeking to provide evidence-based services to prevent child abuse and neglect related to substance abuse. Most importantly, this bill updates the RPG program to specifically address the opioid and heroin epidemics.…”