Jim Sensenbrenner: “I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Rothfus) for yielding and for offering this amendment. The amendment adds a…”

“I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Rothfus) for yielding and for offering this amendment. The amendment adds a purpose area to the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant Program established under H.R. 5046, which would allow grantees to use funds awarded under the program to develop, implement, or expand the program to prevent and address opioid abuse by veterans. I strongly support programs to provide services to our Nation's veterans, who have done so much to protect our freedom and our way of life. As the gentleman is no doubt aware, the underlying bill recognizes that many veterans, particularly those who have been wounded in defense of our Nation, in a tragic irony, have become addicted to the medications they were prescribed to deal with pain from their wounds of war. And the bill includes provisions supporting Veterans Treatment Courts and other mechanisms to provide services to veterans. I would like to work with the gentleman going forward as we move to conference with the Senate to streamline the provisions in my bill with the gentleman's amendment and to ensure that the bill contains appropriate, non-redundant provisions to protect our Nation's veterans. I support the amendment and urge my colleagues to do the same.”