Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act of 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge my colleagues to support my bill, H.R. 4365, the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act.

What if your loved one were in a car accident or had a seizure, but the EMS responder who was trained to help couldn't give him the medicine he needed? Under current law, this could be a reality. This is a huge problem, especially in rural communities where access to a hospital is already a challenge.

That is why I introduced this commonsense bill with my colleague G.K. Butterfield--to clarify existing law and allow emergency medical responders to continue administering lifesaving medications. Without this bill, patients could suffer simply because Washington hasn't kept up with modern medicine. It is a prime example of government's getting in the way and of the exact type of problem I came here to fix.

While today's bill may not be flashy, it solves a problem and it saves lives. It is an example of how to get things done: finding common ground and advancing bipartisan solutions to the problems that face us.

Congressional action is immediately needed, which is why I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation.

I thank my colleague and friend, Representative Butterfield, for working with me on this in a bipartisan way. I also thank Chairman Burgess, Chairman Upton, and the other leaders of the Energy and Commerce Committee who have helped us bring this bill to the floor.

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