Assisting States' Implementation of Plans of Safe Care Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GARRETT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5890) to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide assistance to States in complying with, and implementing, certain provisions of section 106 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act in order to promote better protections for young children and family-centered responses, and for other purposes.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

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Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5890, the Assisting States' Implementation of Plans of Safe Care Act.

In 2016, a staggering 2.1 million Americans experienced an opioid abuse disorder. To put that in perspective, the number of fatalities based on opioid abuse in the most recent year approaches the number 60,000. To put that in perspective, it is nearly sixfold the number of alcohol-related deaths on our highways. It is nearly twofold the number of automotive deaths on our highways. It is, in fact, greater than the number of deaths from automobiles plus nonsuicide-related firearms deaths combined.

What is more troubling is that this number only takes into account those who directly suffered from substance abuse. What it does not take into account are the many people who experienced the secondhand trauma of a loved one struggling with opioid addiction.

One of the greatest tragedies of the opioid epidemic is that thousands of children have been swept up by the current of the epidemic due to the substance abuse of a family member or other adult tasked with caring for them.

The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, CAPTA, recently amended in 2016 by the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, CARA, requires States to implement a plan of safe care to protect the health and safety of young children and promote a family-centered approach to treatment and service delivery. Unfortunately, the requirements included by CARA failed to provide States with substantive guidance and information, which has led to significant confusion and poor implementation of plans of safe care.

States and localities might benefit from written guidance and technical assistance provided by the Department of Health and Human Services as they strive to meet Federal requirements and address the known challenges in their individual plans. Through an enhanced understanding of the requirements, States will be able to better protect the well-being of children and infants when working with families impacted by the trauma related to opioid abuse.

It is clear the opioid epidemic is already multigenerational in nature, as children must confront the pain of an addicted parent or guardian. By strengthening States' responsiveness and plans of safe care, we can help give these children the protection they need while strengthening families for long-term success and stability.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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Mr. GARRETT. Foxx), the honorable chairwoman.

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Mr. GARRETT. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close if the gentlewoman from Oregon would like to conclude her remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida, as well as the chairwoman from North Carolina and my friend and colleague from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici).

I strongly urge my colleagues of every political stripe to recognize that, perhaps while responsibility is best exercised when taken and not given, we contemplate here the outcomes for so many innocents who are unable to determine their circumstance, that is, indeed, children who are born into this horrific affliction of opioid addiction, and understand that, while one might wax poetic about things like personal responsibility and accountability, the Federal Government does, indeed, have a role to fill a vacuum where the States have not acted in the circumstance wherein those who suffer suffer by virtue of circumstances far, far beyond their control.

I would hope that the Members of this body on both sides would find themselves compelled by the sheer mathematical magnitude of the epidemic that is the opioid crisis--again, one that takes more lives than nonsuicide gun violence and automobile accidents combined, and one that impacts not just those who exercise choices but those impacted by circumstances far beyond their control--with this but a humble step, not a panacea, towards creating a better circumstance wherein all Americans experience something closer to an equal opportunity to prosper.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues across both sides of the political spectrum to vote in favor of H.R. 5890, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. GARRETT. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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