Sheila Jackson Lee: “Let me congratulate the gentleman from Texas for his leadership and the gentleman from New Mexico for his outstanding…”

“Let me congratulate the gentleman from Texas for his leadership and the gentleman from New Mexico for his outstanding leadership on this important legislation and his concern and passion. Let me thank my friends who are managing the legislation and let the American people know and our colleagues know that we are continuing our commitment on dealing with the issues of addiction, in this instance, opioid. And, of course, we know that there are other forms of addiction, from alcohol, to crack, to cocaine, but we are moving forward. I rise to support H.R. 3691, the Improving Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women Act of 2015. It is clear that this is an issue that has plagued both the woman and as well the newborn baby. Let me offer to say that President Obama has updated that guideline to encourage doctors to be more cautious when prescribing opioid painkillers and to emphasize nonopioid therapies for certain conditions. Many times women who are pregnant are under treatment. Additionally, the Obama administration has awarded $94 million to community health centers to improve and expand the delivery of substance abuse services. In the President's FY 2017 budget, the administration proposed $1.1 billion to combat drug addition considering modifying certain rules to improve treatment.…”