Orrin Hatch: “I rise to speak of the Controlled Substances Export Reform Act of 2005. This bill would make a minor, but long overdue…”

“I rise to speak of the Controlled Substances Export Reform Act of 2005. This bill would make a minor, but long overdue, change to the Controlled Substances Act to reflect the reality of commerce in the 21st Century and to protect high-paying American jobs, while maintaining strong safeguards on exports. Before I discuss this bill, I want to thank Senator Biden for working with me on this important legislation. Senator Biden has long been recognized as a national leader on drug-related measures, and we have a history of working together on a bipartisan basis to enact sensible reforms in this area, as evidenced by the recent enactment of our steroid precursor bill. I respect his thoughtful collaboration, and I thank him for his work on this proposal. I would also like to thank Chairman Specter for his critical work on this legislation. We would not be able to move this important bill without his efforts. Furthermore, I would like to thank the majority leader for moving this legislation during the last Congress. We were able to pass the measure last fall, and I hope that we may do so again in the near future. This Hatch-Biden bill has been my priority for a number of years. The need for this legislation was first brought to my attention by a number of Utah companies, who had experienced significant difficulties in exporting their pharmaceutical products.…”