Political Quotes

“I come to the floor to thank my colleagues for working so hard on this very important legislation we are going to pass tonight to deal with the opioid crisis. From Port Angeles to Spokane, I guarantee my colleagues that I have heard about this problem, I have seen how our communities are struggling, and this is the very help that they have been asking for. They want new tools, they want better solutions, and they want us to join the fight against drug manufacturers who push these drugs out to communities when they should be following a process and reporting so that our law enforcement can cut down on the huge amounts of opioids streaming into our communities. This legislation does many things, and I am glad that it does. The STOP Act will help crack down on shipments of fentanyl into the United States via the U.S. mail, which is something that is very important that we do, and I thank my colleague from Ohio for that. It authorizes funding for a new grant program to help train law enforcement and protect them against the deadliest opioids, like fentanyl, because their exposure to it has been so unbelievable and it is a risk to them every day they are out there doing their job. This bill reauthorizes the drug courts program, which many people in the State of Washington have told me has been beneficial to how they deal with this crisis as it relates to the individuals in their States, helping nonviolent offenders recover and helping them move forward.…”