Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today released the following statement after the committee passed the SCREENS for Cancer Act of 2023, the Advancing Research in Education Act, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act, and the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act:
"Today the HELP Committee took an important step forward in addressing the opioid and substance abuse crisis in Vermont and throughout America by passing a $4.3 billion piece of legislation to reauthorize and expand the SUPPORT Act. It is unacceptable that more than 100,000 people in America die each and every year from an overdose – with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids playing a role in nearly 70 percent of those tragic deaths. This legislation includes 70 percent increase in funding to train more mental and behavioral health professionals in America. It includes a 25 percent increase in funding to provide student loan forgiveness to substance abuse counselors who agree to practice in underserved areas. It also includes an 80 percent increase in youth prevention and recovery services and a nearly 20 percent increase in the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative.
"I am also pleased that we passed bipartisan legislation to expand the use of methadone in America and legislation to provide increased screening and treatment for breast cancer and cervical cancer.
"The HELP Committee also overwhelmingly passed legislation to reauthorize the Education Sciences Reform Act. This legislation will ensure that high-quality and timely research gets into the hands of teachers and principals so that they can improve teaching and learning in our nation’s schools.
"I look forward to working with all of my colleagues to get this legislation signed into law as soon as possible."
The hearing can be watched here.
-
S.1840, the SCREENS for Cancer Act led by Senators Baldwin and Collins;
-
S. 3392, the Advancing Research in Education Act, introduced by myself and Ranking Member Cassidy;
-
S.3393, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act (S. 3393), introduced by myself and Ranking Member Cassidy; and
-
S. 644, the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act, introduced by Senators Markey, Paul, Lujan, Braun and many other Senators.
SUPPPORT ACT
Let me begin by talking about the reauthorization and expansion of the SUPPORT Act.
I don’t have to tell anyone in this room that we have an opioid crisis in America that we have got to address.
Last year, over 100,000 people in America died from an overdose. Some 70% of those tragic deaths involved fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
The major obstacle we had to overcome to secure a bipartisan bill had to do with money.
I’m not sure how we can adequately address this crisis without investing more federal resources into our communities to hire more substance abuse counselors and mental health professionals.
That is why I am proud that this bill authorizes a 70 percent increase in funding to train more mental and behavioral health professionals in America and a 25 percent increase in funding to provide student loan forgiveness to counselors who agree to practice in underserved areas.
I am proud that this legislation provides an 80 percent increase in youth prevention and recovery services to expand peer to peer substance abuse prevention programs in our nation’s public schools, among other things.
This legislation will also increase funding for the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative – a longstanding program that supports community-based trauma treatment and services to children and families nationwide.
This bill will ensure that our nation’s first responders have the critical training they need to address overdose and substance use disorder crises.
Let’s be clear: While this bill is a positive step forward, much more needs to be done.
Methadone Bill
And one of the things we can do to address this crisis right now is to expand access to methadone.
That is why I am pleased that we will be marking-up Senator Markey’s Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act that he has worked on with Senators Paul, Lujan and Braun.
In America today, the only way to get methadone is through a certified methadone clinic.
Unfortunately, 80 percent of counties in America do not have a methadone clinic. As a result, the only way millions of patients in America can get the methadone they need is to drive long distances to get this treatment.
Senator Markey’s bill would respond to this crisis by allowing certified providers to prescribe methadone to patients for opioid use disorder and to allow pharmacies to dispense methadone in up to 30-day supplies.
According to the NIH, patients being treated with methadone are over 50 percent less likely to die of an opioid overdose than those not using methadone.
SCREENS FOR CANCER ACT
Another bill that we will be considering is the SCREENS for Cancer Act led by Senators Baldwin and Collins.
This bill reauthorizes the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, which provides screening, diagnostic and treatment services for underserved populations.
Over the last 30 years, this program has served more than 6.2 million women, detecting nearly 78,000 breast cancers and over 24,000 precancerous breast lesions.
The program has not been reauthorized for over a decade – and I appreciate Senators Baldwin and Collins’ leadership in moving this forward.
EDUCATION RESEARCH BILL
Last but not least, we will be marking up the Advancing Research in Education Act.
This bill will ensure that high-quality and timely research gets into the hands of teachers and principals.
For over 20 years, the Institute for Education Sciences has funded valuable research and generated statistics on the current state of our nation’s education system.
Because of this work, we know our students and teachers are facing more challenges than ever before.
We know that college enrollment has declined by 15 percent over the past decade.
We know that the U.S. ranks 4th in reading, 6th in science, and 22nd in math scores for 15-year olds, compared to 37 other major O-E-C-D countries.
We know that almost half of public schools in this nation say they cannot provide the mental health services that their students need.
This legislation will create a program to help States track student data and outcomes from pre-school to college so that we can identify gaps in opportunities for young people.
It will expand the research capacity of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and University, and other Minority-Serving Institutions.
And it will help develop a more reliable and accurate measurement of student poverty to ensure funding and resources accurately reach the most vulnerable students in our country.
I support these bills and I believe that they should be signed into law as soon as possible.
Senator Cassidy: You are now recognized for an opening statement.
Source: WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 – Senator Bernie Sanders
