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Prepared Floor Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act
Monday, February 29, 2016


Mr. President, an historic epidemic of drug overdose deaths is gripping our country.  Over 47,000 Americans died from overdoses in 2014, an all-time high.  Incredibly, that’s more deaths than resulted from either car crashes or gun violence.

Addiction to opioids, primarily prescription pain killers and heroin, is driving this epidemic.  It’s destroying lives, families, and communities.  It’s a crisis.  And it demands action.

Thankfully, the Senate can act this week, when we consider S. 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, or CARA.

CARA is a bipartisan bill authored by two Democrats and two Republicans -- Senators Whitehouse, Portman, Klobuchar and Ayotte. 

These Senators have shown extraordinary leadership on this issue.  They deserve credit for crafting a bill that addresses many of the different aspects of this epidemic, through evidence-based solutions and best practices.  This is a complex crisis that requires a multifaceted solution.

Over the past few months, I’ve worked hard with the bill’s authors to refine it and move it through the Judiciary Committee.  I’m proud to say that a few weeks ago it passed the committee on a voice vote, with no opposition.

CARA is only the latest bipartisan legislative accomplishment by the Judiciary Committee this Congress.  We’ve had 21 bills pass the Committee this Congress, all with bipartisan support.  But there are a few major bills that stand out.

Last April, the Committee passed the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act unanimously, 19-0.  The bill enhances penalties for human trafficking and equips law enforcement with new tools to target predators who traffic innocent young people.  The bill passed the Senate 99-0 and was signed into law by the President.

In October, the committee passed the landmark Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act with a strong 15-5 bipartisan vote.  My bill would recalibrate prison sentences for certain drug offenders, target violent criminals, and grant judges greater discretion at sentencing for lower-level drug crimes.  I’m working hard to build additional support for the bill so that it can be taken up by the full Senate soon.

Then in December, the Committee passed my Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act, again without opposition.  The bill will ensure that at-risk youth are fairly and effectively served by juvenile justice grant programs.  Again, we’re working hard to move this bill through the full Senate.

The bipartisan reforms enacted by each of these bills address real problems that affect the lives of many people across the nation and in my home state of Iowa.  I’m proud of the work we’ve done so far -- but there’s a lot more to do.

And that brings me back to the heroin and prescription drug epidemic.  It isn’t as bad in Iowa as it is in many areas of the country, but the eastern part of my state has been hit hard recently.

The human cost of what’s happening across so many of these communities is incalculable.  Every life that is lost or changed forever by this epidemic is precious.  Especially for many young people who fall victim to addiction early in their lives, there is so much human potential at stake.

Many Iowans have heard the story of Kim Brown, a nurse from Davenport, and her son Andy.  Andy was prescribed pain pills when he had surgery at age 14.  Whether it was connected to abuse of those pain pills or not, he developed a drug problem as a teenager that he couldn’t shake.  He overdosed on heroin a few times, but survived.  And finally, at age 33, he died of an overdose, tragically leaving behind two young sons.  Ms. Brown now speaks out around the state about the heroin epidemic.

Her story reflects a larger pattern. Over the last 20 years or so, doctors have increasingly prescribed opioids to help their patients manage pain.  For many, these medicines have been the answer to their prayers.  But for others, they have led to a nightmare of addiction.

According to numerous studies, prescription opioid addiction is a strong risk factor for heroin addiction.  In some cases, those addicted to painkillers turn to heroin to get a similar high, because recently, it’s become cheaper and more easily available.

And as Ms. Brown’s story reflects, this epidemic is a matter of life and death.  In fact, nationally, heroin overdose deaths more than tripled from 2010 to 2014.

But Iowans are fighting back.  Last year, with the assistance of a new federal grant, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Cedar Rapids Police Department formed the Eastern Iowa Heroin Initiative.

This partnership is focused on stemming the tide of heroin abuse through enforcement, prevention and treatment.  I’ve been invited to participate in a town hall with them to discuss the epidemic, and I plan to do so soon.

When I do, I want to tell them that the Senate has acted on this crisis by passing CARA.  CARA supports so many of the efforts to help stem the tide of addiction that are underway in Iowa and across the country.

As its name reflects, the bill addresses the epidemic comprehensively, supporting prevention, education, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement. 

CARA starts with prevention and education.  It authorizes awareness and education campaigns, so that the public understands the dangers of becoming addicted to prescription pain killers. 

It creates a national task force to develop best prescribing practices, so that doctors don’t expose their patients to unnecessary risks of addiction.

The bill encourages the use of prescription drug monitoring programs like Iowa’s, which helps detect and deter “doctor shopping” behavior by addicts. 

And the bill authorizes an expansion of the federal initiative that allows patients to safely dispose of old or unused medications, so that these drugs don’t fall into the hands of young people, potentially leading to addiction.

In fact, along with a few other Committee members, I helped start this “take back” program in 2010 through the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act.  It’s been a highly successful effort.  Since 2010, over 2,700 tons of drugs have been collected from medicine cabinets and disposed of safely.  Iowa also has a similar “take back” program that’s expanding rapidly.

CARA also focuses on treatment and recovery.  The bill authorizes programs to provide first responders with training to use Naloxone, a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and directly save lives.  Naloxone was used hundreds of times by first responders in Iowa in 2014.

Importantly, the bill provides that a set portion of Naloxone funding go to rural areas, like much of Iowa that is being affected most acutely.  This is critical when someone overdoses and isn’t near a hospital.

The bill also authorizes an expansion of Drug Free Communities Act grants to those areas that are most dramatically affected by the opioid epidemic.  And it also authorizes funds for programs that encourage the use of medication assisted treatment, provide community-based support for those in recovery, and address the unique needs of pregnant and post-partum women who are addicted to opioids.

Finally, the bill also bolsters law enforcement efforts as well.  Amazingly, in 2007, only 8 percent of state and local law enforcement officials across the country identified heroin as the greatest drug threat in their area.  But by 2015, that number rose to 38 percent, more than any other drug.

So the bill reauthorizes federal funding for state task forces that specifically address heroin trafficking.

I’m also pleased that I was able to include in the bill a reauthorization of the funding for the methamphetamine law enforcement task forces as well.

I held a Judiciary Committee field hearing in Des Moines last fall about the ongoing meth problem across Iowa.  And one thing the hearing made clear is that our friends in state law enforcement need all the help we can give them on that front too.

All in all, the bill authorizes about $78 million per year to address this crisis.

It’s no wonder that the bill is supported by a diverse range of stakeholders, including the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, the National District Attorneys Association, the Major County Sheriffs’ Association, the National Association of Attorneys General, and so many organizations in the treatment and recovery communities.

I urge my colleagues to support it this week, when the Senate has the opportunity to act to address this epidemic.  We owe it to those, like Kim Brown, who have lost sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, co-workers and friends, to act now.

I yield the floor.

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