Block, Report, and Suspend Suspicious Shipments Act of 2021

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for being a very good and fair chairman.

I rise in support of the Block, Report, And Suspend Suspicious Shipments Act. This bipartisan legislation would implement safeguards against pill dumping and other abusive practices to address the ongoing opioid epidemic, which remains one of the most pressing public health threats facing our country.

Last year, over 88,000 Americans lost their lives as a result of the opioid crisis, including 2,650 individuals in my home State of Michigan. Communities across the country are hurting, and new tools to address pill dumping and other dodgy practices that have exacerbated the opioid crisis are needed now more than ever.

The Block, Report, And Suspend Suspicious Shipments Act will strengthen oversight and integrity of the opioid supply chain by requiring that drug manufacturers and distributors exercise due diligence when they receive a suspicious order for controlled substances. This includes blocking or declining to fill the suspicious order and providing DEA additional data and background on the indicators of the order in question.

This legislation's commonsense protection will save lives in Michigan and all around this country by making distributors and manufacturers active partners in curbing these abuses.

I would like to recognize my colleague, Congressman McKinley, for his record of leadership, concern, empathy, compassion, and working to address this longstanding issue that has helped perpetuate the opioid crisis.

I would also like to thank Chairman Pallone and Ranking Member Rodgers, as well as the Democratic and Republican committee staff, for their hard work to build consensus and advance this important bipartisan priority.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source