Executive Calendar

Floor Speech

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Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, last month I had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with several mayors and local leaders who were in Washington with the Arkansas Municipal League. We had a lively and informative discussion on ways to continue the economic growth that has been taking place throughout Arkansas.

While much of our conversation was focused on forward-thinking ways to continue these positive trends, there was also a very frank and candid discussion about an issue that is currently holding our communities back--the opioid crisis.

Policymakers across our State have been struggling to help confront Arkansas's heroin and opioid epidemic. The Natural State has been hit particularly hard by this national crisis. Retail data collected from pharmacies shows that Arkansas has one of the highest per capita opioid consumption rates in the Nation. CDC data shows that we have the second highest prescribing rate in the country--enough for each Arkansan to have more than one opioid prescription in his or her name.

It is an issue that all of us--from city leaders to lawmakers in Little Rock, to our Congressional delegation in Washington--continue to work tirelessly to confront because we have seen how pervasive this crisis is and how devastating its effects are.

I know that everyone who serves in this Chamber is working just as feverishly with their State and local leaders to confront the crisis. That is why it is so important that we included substantial resources for a wide-ranging strategy to counter the epidemic, nearly $4 billion, in the omnibus bill.

This funding will be used to provide additional resources for law enforcement and to continue important grant programs that help State and local governments offset the cost of opioid abuse. It will also support research into opioid addiction and alternative treatments.

We must ensure that we are doing all we can to supplement State and local efforts to combat the spread of opioid abuse. Unfortunately, this is not currently happening. The Department of Justice is hurting our communities' efforts to get a handle on the crisis by withholding critical funds.

The Byrne JAG grant program was created more than a decade ago to help States and local law enforcement agencies purchase essential equipment and support drug treatment and enforcement activities. It is the largest source of Federal justice funding to help provide law enforcement officers with the tools and training to protect our communities.

Currently, DOJ is denying every State access to those funds because some communities and States are violating Federal immigration law. This leaves States like Arkansas scrambling to continue funding crucial safety programs.

Arkansas law enforcement agencies have received millions of dollars through this program to support training, personnel, equipment, supplies, and information sharing. Arkansas is eligible for more than $2 million in funding from fiscal year 2017 to help fund multijurisdictional programs like drug task forces.

Earlier this year, I met with Arkansas drug director Kirk Lane to discuss how crucial the Byrne JAG program is to our State's efforts to combat opioid abuse. Director Lane stressed that limited funds threaten the abilities of task forces to accomplish their missions.

Matching funds from the State are running dry. So unless DOJ releases Byrne JAG funds, the critical work done by officers who are part of these task forces to fight the opioid epidemic will be seriously compromised. That is why earlier this year I led a bipartisan effort to express these concerns to Attorney General Sessions. Half a dozen of our colleagues joined me in an effort to relay to the Attorney General that withholding these vital funds will have long-term negative consequences for our communities.

Since we have not received a response from DOJ, I raised the issue again with the Attorney General at yesterday's Appropriations subcommittee hearing. As I said to the Attorney General, when I speak with local law enforcement and county sheriffs back in Arkansas, they all inquire about when these funds will be released and made available.

While it may not seem like a whole lot of money, Byrne JAG grants make a huge difference. It is often the sole reason police departments in small communities are able to stand up a drug task force. I was encouraged by the Attorney General's response that the Department is determined to get the money out and that it is a high priority for him personally. It simply has to get done. I urge DOJ to rectify this situation quickly. With each passing day that local law enforcement is being denied these resources, lives that could be saved are lost.

While we look for new ways to tackle this problem, one step Washington took years ago continues to help. The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day initiative, spearheaded by the DEA, has helped remove expired, unused, and unnecessary opioids from homes.

Research has found that the majority of opioid abusers get their drugs from friends and family, often lifting pills from a familiar medicine cabinet. Removing them from homes helps to reduce experimentation and overdoses.

In early 2010, a coalition of Federal and State law enforcement officials, prevention professionals, and private organizations launched an ongoing education program to encourage Arkansans to monitor, secure, and dispose of their prescription medications. The coalition organized Arkansas's participation in the DEA's National Prescription Take Back Day initiative and has hosted Arkansas Take Back Day collection events for the last 8 years.

Despite our State's modest population, Arkansas ranks 13th in the Nation in total weight collected over the course of 14 statewide take- back events. That is a testament to the coalition's efforts. These events have produced the return of almost 132 tons of unneeded medications, which amounts to over 400 million pills.

This campaign is clearly succeeding in getting unnecessary prescription drugs out of circulation and in helping to break the cycle of addiction in our communities. Besides that, it is so important in getting rid of these prescriptions in the right way, as opposed to just flushing them in the toilet where they get in our water supply.

The next take-back event is Saturday, April 28. There are more than 130 permanent dropoff sites across Arkansas, and many law enforcement agencies host temporary dropoff sites on this day as well. I encourage Arkansans to once again participate in this worthwhile event in full force this year.

Programs like the prescription drug take-back, in combination with local, State, and national efforts to combat the opioid crisis and help stem the tide of drug overdose and abuse, need to be supported and strengthened if we are serious about ending this crisis.

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