Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act of 2016

Floor Speech

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Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H.R. 4365, the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act of 2016.
I thank Mr. Hudson for his leadership, as well as Mr. Butterfield's.

This bill is the result of a bipartisan effort, and it reflects input from emergency medical services--EMS--professionals, hospitals, and law enforcement. The bill strikes the right balance of ensuring that EMS professionals have flexibility when responding to emergency situations while preserving the Drug Enforcement Agency's ability to effectively enforce U.S. laws and regulations that govern controlled substances.

H.R. 4365 would amend the Controlled Substances Act to, among other things, clarify that EMS personnel can administer controlled substances under a standing order from an EMS medical director who oversees emergency care. This would codify what is current practice across the U.S. and would help ensure that patients have access to important drugs during emergency situations. H.R. 4365 would also streamline the EMS registration process to allow for a single registration for an EMS agency in a State rather than requiring each EMS medical director or EMS agency location to register. In addition, H.R. 4365 makes EMS agencies responsible for receiving, storing, and tracking controlled substances to ensure that the DEA can better prevent the diversion or misuse of controlled substances.

I thank my colleagues Mr. Butterfield and Mr. Hudson for their work on this important legislation, and I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 4365.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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