Martha Roby: Mental health, opioid bills advance
Congress took big steps this past week toward enacting legislation critical to addressing a few key national issues: the opioid epidemic and gaps in mental health services. Some weeks ago I relayed the good news that the House was working on a slate of bills aimed at combatting the growing heroin and opioid addiction epidemic facing our county. Drug overdoses account for as many as 47,000 deaths a year, and the number of those involving opioid prescription pain relievers has risen drastically over the last several years. Alabama is experiencing a particularly significant increase in opioid overdoses. Our state saw an almost 20 percent rise in opioid overdoses between 2013 and 2014, the last year full data is available, which was the fifth highest nationally. I’m pleased to report that the House and Senate negotiated a final Conference Report on S. 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 that addresses these issues. This legislation will marshal the resources of the public and private sectors to better respond to opioid abuse and addiction. Of note, the bill: improves prevention and education efforts through the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the National Institutes of Health; enhances law enforcement capabilities by authorizing paid-for Department of Justice grants for drug fighting efforts that work; focuses attention on treatment and recovery by expanding access to addiction services and opioid overdose reversal drugs through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; and prioritizes services for veterans by improving drug policies, treatment offerings and patient advocacy efforts within the VA. The House has passed the package and it now awaits final approval by the Senate. The House also took an important step toward addressing our country’s mental health crisis. More than 11 million Americans deal with the significant mental health struggles of severe schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression. Serious mental health problems that go unaddressed can manifest in dangerous ways, as we saw with the terrible tragedies that took place in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, Aurora, Colorado, and other places. My colleague Rep. Tim Murphy has been crafting legislation that would address some of our nation’s deficiencies in identifying and treating mental illness. H.R. 2646, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, seeks to reform the broken mental healthcare system by refocusing outdated programs, improving the effectiveness of grants, and removing federal barriers to care. It will take a lot of work to rebuild our nation’s mental health network, but it must be done and this legislation is the first step. It passed by an overwhelming bi-partisan vote of 407-5 and now awaits action in the Senate. Opioid addiction and mental health are two acute problems facing our country, and I’m pleased that Congress is taking action on smart legislation to address them. ••• Martha Roby represents Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. She lives in Montgomery, Alabama with her husband, Riley and their two children.
This week in the U.S. House of Representatives, Senate: Feb. 29 – Mar. 4, 2016
The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate both have a busy week ahead, as the House will focus on delaying an EPA rule described by opponents as job-killing and tackling a Medicaid issue, meanwhile the Senate will take on legislation to address drug abuse. House Schedule On Monday and Tuesday, the House is in session and will consider several bills under Suspension of the Rules. A full list of bills can be found here. On the floor this week: H.R. 3716: the Ensuring Terminated Providers are Removed from Medicaid and CHIP Act. The bill requires states to notify the Health and Human Services Department of health care providers who are terminated from the state’s Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) program because of fraud or other “for cause” reasons, and for HHS to maintain a database of terminated providers in order to prevent them from participating in another state’s Medicaid program. It also requires each state to publish a directory of health care and dental providers that accept Medicaid. Alabama co-sponsor(s): None. H.R. 4557: the Blocking Regulatory Interference from Closing Kilns Act. The bill delays new EPA rules that establish national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for the manufacturing of brick and structural clay products or clay ceramics until all judicial reviews are completed. Alabama co-sponsor(s): Rep. Martha Roby (AL-02); Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) On Friday, the House is not in session. Highlights of what is happening in House Committees this week: Budget Season: Budget season continues with the Natural Resources Committee holding a related hearing. The House Appropriations committee has also begun its FY17 hearing slate, a full list of those hearings can be found here. Executive Overreach Task Force: On Tuesday, the Executive Overreach Task Force will hold a hearing titled “The Original Understanding of the Role of Congress and How Far We’ve Drifted From It.” More information here. Encryption: On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing titled “The Encryption Tightrope: Balancing Americans’ Security and Privacy.” More information here. Jobs: On Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing titled “Getting Incentives Right: Connecting Low-Income Individuals with Jobs.” More information here. Veterans: On Wednesday, the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee will hold a joint hearing on “The Legislative Presentation of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.” On Thursday, the Committees will hold another joint hearing on “The legislative presentation from AMVETS, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Blinded Veterans Association, Gold Star Wives of America, the Wounded Warrior Project, and the National Guard Association of the United States.” More information here and here, respectively. SNAP: On Wednesday, the House Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing titled “Past, Present, and Future of SNAP: Examining State Options.” More information here. World Threats: On Wednesday, the House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing titled “World Wide Threats.” More information here. Senate Schedule The Senate will resume legislative business on Monday. Up for consideration this week, S. 524: the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, a bill that would award grants to address the national epidemics of prescription opioid abuse and heroin use. Alabama co-sponsor(s): None. Highlights of what is happening in Senate Committees this week: Homeland Security: On Tuesday, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security will hold a hearing to consider the Transportation Security Administration’s FY 2017 budget request. More Homeland: On Wednesday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing to consider nominations Jobs: On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing titled “The Distortion of EB-5 Targeted Employment Areas: Time to End the Abuse.” More Homeland: On Thursday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing titled “Dogs of DHS: How Canine Programs Contribute to Homeland Security.” Nominations: On Thursday the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to consider nominations and legislation.
This week in the U.S. House of Representatives, Senate: Feb. 22 – Feb. 26, 2016
Both chambers are in session this week after their one-week President’s Day recesses. House Schedule On Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives is not in session. On both Tuesday and Wednesday, the House is in session and will consider several bills under Suspension of the Rules. A full list of bills can be found here. On the floor this week: H.R. 3624: the Fraudulent Joinder Prevention Act. The bill establishes national standards under which federal courts, when considering whether to remand back to a state court a lawsuit against an out-of-state entity, must deny that motion and have the case decided in federal court if it determines that an in-state co-defendant should not have been joined to the case. Yeah, I was a little lost on that one too, more background courtesy the House Judiciary Committee can be found here. Alabama co-sponsor(s): None H.R. 2406: the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act. The bill includes a number of provisions intended to expand recreational hunting and fishing opportunities on federal lands. The bill requires that public lands be considered open for recreational hunting, fishing, shooting or similar activities unless specifically closed; allows individuals to carry firearms at Corps of Engineers recreational areas; limits the authority of the EPA to regulate bullets, angling , and other hunting equipment for toxic substances; and increases federal funding for states to set up public shooting ranges on public lands. It also permits the importation of certain African elephant hunting trophies as well as polar bear hunting trophies taken prior to when polar bears were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Alabama co-sponsor(s): Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03) The House is not in session Friday. Highlights of what is happening in House Committees this week: Budget Season: Budget season continues with the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Education & Workforce Committee holding related hearings. The House Appropriations committee has also begun its FY17 hearing slate, a full list of those hearings can be found here. Veterans: On Tuesday, the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee will hold a joint hearing on “The Legislative Presentation of the Disabled American Veterans.” More information here. Zika Virus: On Wednesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing on “The Zika Virus: Coordination of a Multi-Agency Response.” More information here. K-12 Education: On Thursday, the House Education and the Workforce Committee will hold a hearing titled “Next Steps for K-12 Education: Upholding the Letter and Intent of the Every Student Succeeds Act.” More information here. Small Business: On Wednesday, the House Small Business Committee will hold a hearing titled “Small Business Administration Management and Performance Challenges: The Inspector General’s Perspective.” International Tax Reform: On Wednesday, the House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing titled “Global Tax Environment in 2016 and Implications for International Tax Reform.” More information here. Agriculture: On Wednesday, the House Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on “The State of the Rural Economy” featuring Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack. More information here. OPM Data Breach: On Wednesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing titled “OPM Data Breach: Part III.” More information here. Asia-Pacific Security: On Wednesday, the House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing titled “The Challenge of Conventional and Hybrid Warfare in the Asia-Pacific Region: The Changing the Nature of the Security Environment and its Effect on Military Planning.” More information here. European Security: On Thursday, the House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing titled “Full Spectrum Security Challenges in Europe and their Effects on Deterrence and Defense.” More information here. Puerto Rico: On Thursday, the House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing titled “The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Analysis of the Situation in Puerto Rico.” More information here. Obamacare: On Thursday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing titled “Review of Obamacare Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans (Co-Ops).” More information here. Security Clearances: On Thursday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing titled “Security Clearance Reform: The Performance Accountability Council’s Path Forward.” More information here. NASA: On Thursday, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee will hold a hearing titled “Space Leadership Preservation Act and the Need for Stability at NASA.” More information here. Senate Schedule On Monday, George Washington’s 1796 farewell address will be delivered from the Senate floor. The Senate has commemorated Washington’s birthday by reading it every year for over a century. The Senate is expected to consider certain nominations the remainder of the week, including that of Dr. Robert Califf for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has also stated that the chamber may consider S.524: the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015, later in the week. This legislation authorizes funding to fight opioid abuse. Alabama co-sponsor(s): None
