October 30, 2013 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7667 her poor vision keeps her from seeing herself Tarleton’s new face. ‘‘I get to feel my moth- The long-term solvency of the Na- clearly unless she holds a mirror up close. ‘‘I er’s skin again, I get to see my mother’s tional Flood Insurance Program is crit- don’t yet feel it is my face,’’ she wrote in a freckles, and through you, I get to see my ical to protecting taxpayer invest- recent blog post. ‘‘I feel like I am still bor- mother live on,’’ the daughter, Marinda ments, communicating perceived flood rowing it.’’ Righter, told Ms. Tarleton in May. The two Ms. Tarleton’s former husband, Herbert have kept in touch, and Ms. Tarleton said risk to homeowners, and encouraging Rodgers, 58, pleaded guilty to a charge of she could feel Ms. Righter’s loss ‘‘so strong- communities to invest in mitigation maiming and is serving a prison sentence of ly’’—another complicating factor as she ad- measures. The rates imposed by the at least 30 years. Mr. Rodgers told the police justs. legislation we adopted last summer are that he had been angry at Ms. Tarleton, be- One Tuesday in August, Ms. Tarleton made working against those worthy goals. lieving she was seeing another man after her way yet again to Brigham and Women’s, they separated. where doctors monitor the level of anti-re- A constituent from Ocean Springs, Ms. Tarleton underwent a number of recon- jection medications in her blood and take bi- MS, contacted my office to give her structive surgeries, but with little success. opsies of the skin on her neck—which is the perspective on the legislation. She When Dr. Pomahac called in May 2011 to pro- donor’s—to look for any sign of rejection. wrote: ‘‘Built in 1986, [my house] sur- pose a face transplant, Ms. Tarleton’s mind Ms. Tarleton has undergone nearly 60 oper- first leapt to a ‘‘Twilight Zone’’ episode that vived all hurricanes including Katrina. ations, mostly skin grafts, at Brigham and I used my retirement savings to buy had jarred her as a child, about a man who Women’s and has visited 21 times since her could change his appearance to look like latest release in March. On this day she was the house. Before closing, flood insur- other people. exhausted, recovering from a bad headache ance was grandfathered at $245.00 per ‘‘Initially I felt that it was very sci-fi,’’ she the previous night and a recent fall that had year. After closing, the rate sky- said in a recent interview while curled on the left her with an aching foot. But she had a rocketed to $18,450. You can understand couch in the modest home she shares with bit of good news for her doctors. my shock.’’ If you do the math, her her two daughters. But she and her family ‘‘If I put my head on Sheldon’s chest, I can started researching, and after a few weeks of new rates are more than 75 times the feel his hair,’’ she said, ‘‘and I couldn’t be- weighing the pros and cons—for one thing, rate when she purchased her home. fore.’’ she is likely to be on immunosuppressant Ms. Tarleton also met with Bridget Bowl- I heard from Thomas Schafer, the drugs for the rest of her life, raising her risk er, a speech therapist who is helping her Mayor of Diamondhead, MS. This city of infection and cancer—Ms. Tarleton de- learn to move her new lips—where nerve cided to forge ahead. in Hancock County was ‘‘ground zero’’ After a number of trips to Boston for phys- function typically takes the longest to re- for Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Mayor ical and psychological screening to deter- turn in transplant recipients—and practice Schafer called this legislation a ‘‘dev- mine if she was a good candidate, she got on facial expressions. She still has an air of the astating loss to [his] community,’’ the donor list that fall. ‘‘It was like a big ventriloquist when she speaks, a habit that Ms. Bowler is trying to help her shake. pointing specifically to ‘‘plummeting surprise, a big gift,’’ she said. ‘‘I’d already property values with increased cost of accepted my disfigurement, fine. But I ac- ‘‘One of these days in the near future,’’ Ms. cepted it believing there wasn’t an alter- Tarleton said, ‘‘when I start to cry or I flood insurance.’’ native.’’ laugh, you’re going to be able to tell by look- These are communities that suffered The things Ms. Tarleton wanted from a ing at me how I feel.’’ These days, Ms. Tarleton has returned to the greatest natural disaster in our Na- new face were more pragmatic than aes- tion’s history in 2005, the effects of the thetic. Tight bands of scars ringed her neck, her hard-charging self. Her summer included causing debilitating pain. She drooled con- speaking engagements, weekend road trips Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, and stantly and could not blink, jeopardizing a and late-night jam sessions with Mr. Stein now this. synthetic cornea in her left eye. And with and his musician friends. She decided to take The bill I join my colleagues in intro- up the banjo in addition to the piano, be- her face frozen from scarring, it was hard for ducing today aims to restrain the rate others to read her emotions. cause she wanted to join in the jams. ‘‘Our For a time, she was devastated that she whole lives,’’ she said, ‘‘are just about expe- increases to homeowners that are very could not see ‘‘the old me,’’ as she put it. But rience.’’ troublesome. she moved on, writing a book about her Ms. Blandin said Ms. Tarleton’s new face Under this bill, the Federal Emer- physical and emotional recovery from the at- has helped mute the grief she still feels gency Management Agency must pro- tack and speaking publicly about the experi- about the horrible damage done by the lye ence. She seemed mostly unconcerned about attack. ‘‘Now I just feel like a warm nos- vide assurances to Congress that it is her appearance. talgia: I know you and I haven’t forgotten using sound mapping methods to make But in December 2012, she gained a more you,’’ she said of her sister’s original face. flood insurance rate determinations. A urgent desire for a new face. She had started ‘‘She’s still Carmen in some ways, but in study by the National Academies of taking piano lessons at a music shop not far other ways she’s someone new and the face Science produced in March of this year from her home. Her teacher was Sheldon transplant represents that.’’ has called into question some of the en- Stein, an earthy, soft-spoken musician with But Ms. Tarleton’s daughters, Liza, 21, and gineering practices FEMA uses to de- whom she felt an instant affinity. The feel- Hannah, 19, who live with her in a red barn ing, it turned out, was mutual. The two say that has been converted to apartments, on a termine rates. Before we let these rates they are in love. hill thick with wildflowers, were more mat- devalue private property and perhaps ‘‘I kept looking in the mirror all of a sud- ter-of-fact when discussing her trans- even devastate local economies, we den when I met Sheldon,’’ she said. ‘‘I wasn’t formation, perhaps intentionally. need to be absolutely sure our prac- insecure before. But now—now you have feel- ‘‘Mom’s going to do what she’s going to tices and procedures are as sound as ings for somebody and now you have some- do,’’ Liza said. possible. thing to lose, when before, one of the reasons Hannah chimed in. ‘‘And we’re going to get I did so well is I had nothing to lose any- used to it,’’ she said, laughing. Second, FEMA must complete the af- more.’’ ‘‘And we’re going to support it,’’ Liza fordability study mandated by the After the operation, she went through a added, ‘‘for sure.’’ same legislation that is driving insur- harrowing three weeks when her immune With that, Liza got up to make her mother ance rates up. If rates become so high system rejected the face. But medications a hot dog. Ms. Tarleton took her spot on the that homeowners cannot participate in helped her accept the new tissue. And some couch, a barely perceptible smile flickering the program, or entire communities of the improvements she had hoped for came across her face. shortly after. Her neck pain disappeared, and opt out of the program, all participants f her left eyelid, immobile for years, began to in the program will suffer from a blink again. The drooling diminished, and is HOMEOWNER FLOOD INSURANCE smaller risk pool. It is important that likely to stop once she gets more feeling in AFFORDABILITY ACT we understand the implications of her lips. Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I am these rates before we allow them to The transplant did not make Ms. Tarleton ruin people’s lives and communities. look like her donor, Cheryl Denelli Righter pleased to be a cosponsor of the Home- of North Adams, Mass., who died at 56 after owner Flood Insurance Affordability I am pleased with the work accom- a stroke. That is a typical outcome for face Act. This bipartisan, bicameral legisla- plished by the bipartisan group of Sen- transplant recipients, partly because their tion seeks to protect homeowners ators who introduced this bill. The bill bone structures are different from their do- across the country from severe flood reflects the priorities of Senators from nors’. Mysteriously, she now has a cleft in insurance rate hikes until Congress is both parties and several regions. I be- her chin, something neither Ms. Denelli Righter nor Ms. Tarleton’s old face had. provided assurances from the agency lieve it gives the Senate a strong start- Yet to Ms. Denelli Righter’s daughter, related to flood mapping methodolo- ing point to address this important something of her mother lives on in Ms. gies and affordability. issue.

VerDate Mar 15 2010 00:25 Nov 06, 2013 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD13\RECFILES\S30OC3.REC S30OC3 bjneal on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE S7668 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE October 30, 2013 NATIONAL MEDICINE ABUSE support. This bill fixes a catch-22 in tober 9 Azerbaijanis overwhelmingly AWARENESS MONTH current law that puts veterans who reelected President Aliyev to a third Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, as have recently returned from overseas five year term in only their fifth Presi- Chairman of the Senate Caucus on at financial risk if they experience a dential election since Azerbaijan International Narcotics Control, I rise medical emergency. gained its independence in 1991. I, along with several of my col- in strong support of efforts being made Under current law, a veteran enrolled leagues, met privately with President across the country to reduce prescrip- in the VA system who receives emer- Aliyev in Baku several months ago to tion drug abuse as part of National gency care at a non-VA facility can be discuss the great challenges facing Medicine Abuse Awareness Month. In reimbursed for those costs only if the Azerbaijan, the United States, and our California, and throughout the coun- veteran had also received care at a VA facility in the preceding 24 months. allies in the region. try, the misuse and abuse of prescrip- I took this opportunity to personally tion and over the counter drugs is a The intent of this requirement is to en- courage veterans to seek preventative thank President Aliyev, his govern- significant problem. While the con- ment, and the Azerbaijani people for sequences are tragic and profound, care, which decreases the need for more expensive emergency care. The prob- their unwavering support for the they are also preventable. United States government and its peo- According to the Office of National lem is thousands of veterans have re- cently come home from overseas and ple. Drug Control Policy, prescription drug President Aliyev was among the first abuse is our Nation’s fastest-growing they can’t meet the 24-month require- ment through no fault of their own. few foreign leaders to call President drug problem. The U.S. Substance Bush immediately after the attacks on Abuse and Mental Health Services Ad- These veterans have scheduled their first new patient examination with VA, 9/11 to offer his country’s prayers and ministration’s 2012 National Survey on tangible support at a time of great cri- Drug Use and Health found that over but they have not yet received their examination because of VA waiting sis in our Nation. the past decade, the non-medical use of The United States and Azerbaijan times. prescription drugs among persons 12 share many common strategic inter- In other words, they haven’t received years or older rose from 1.9 million in ests. Azerbaijan plays a vital role in ef- their first VA appointment because of 2002 to 11.1 million in 2011. The 2012 Na- forts ranging from counter-terrorism, VA waiting times, but if they need to tional Survey on Drug Use and Health energy security, to the transit of U.S. go to a non-VA hospital for a medical estimates that the abuse of prescrip- and NATO supplies to and from Af- emergency VA cannot reimburse them tion medications such as pain killers, ghanistan. tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives because they haven’t received their As an important partner in the re- is second only to marijuana, the No. 1 first VA appointment. gion, Azerbaijan is an active partici- VA estimates 144,000 veterans are abused drug in the United States. The pant in NATO’s Partnership for Peace caught in this catch–22. With the war Centers for Disease Control have classi- program and was among the first na- in Afghanistan ending, even more vet- fied prescription drug abuse as an epi- tions to militarily support American erans will be affected. This is why vet- demic. led efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. eran service organizations such as the To combat the epidemic of prescrip- Azerbaijan’s stability and prosperity lraq and Afghanistan Veterans of tion drug and over the counter medi- in the South Caucasus, along with its America are supporting this measure. cine abuse, many community anti-drug continued commitment to democratic This bill gives VA the flexibility to coalitions are working to raise aware- reforms, will serve as an important reimburse veterans who have not yet ness about the negative consequences beacon of hope in a complex region. received their new patient examination associated with the misuse of these f if the veterans have to go to a non-VA drugs. hospital for a medical emergency. For NATIONAL LIBERTY MEMORIAL The North Coastal Prevention Coali- Hawaii veterans in rural Oahu or the Mr. MURPHY. Mr. President, I wish tion in California is just one example neighbor islands who live far from VA to speak today about an effort long of a coalition pushing back against this facilities, emergency care outside the championed by my predecessors in the problem. Together with San Diego VA may be their only option. Just last Senate, Senators Dodd and Lieberman, County’s Prescription Drug Task week I met a veteran from Waianae and to express my commitment to Force, the Coalition has worked to cre- who had a medical emergency while carry on their work. That important ate county-wide Pain Prescribing waiting 4 months for his first appoint- project, the National Liberty Memo- Guidelines. They have helped facilitate ment at VA. Veterans such as he who rial, will commemorate the patriotism National Take Back Days during which were denied VA reimbursement would of African American soldiers during individuals are able to turn over un- get much needed relief under this legis- the American Revolution. used prescription drugs. They also de- lation. From the very first days of the veloped and disseminated a brochure In its FY2014 budget request, VA American Revolution, African Ameri- on ‘‘Safe Pain Prescribing’’ to emer- asked for the statutory authority pro- cans took part in the effort to establish gency room physicians. vided by this legislation. The VA has a new nation and secure liberty’s bless- I would like to acknowledge the crit- already budgeted for this new author- ings. They did this despite the fact ical efforts of the North Coastal Pre- ity in its FY2014 budget request, and that the vast majority of their broth- vention Coalition and other anti-drug the funding provided in H.R. 2216, as re- ers and sisters remained slaves. coalitions throughout the country in ported by the Senate Appropriations Many of these African American pa- raising awareness about and combating Committee on June 27, 2013, is suffi- triots were from Connecticut. In 1976, the misuse of prescription medications. cient to cover any additional costs VA the town of Milford established a me- By designating October 2013 as Na- will incur using this new authority. morial to six black soldiers of the Rev- tional Medicine Abuse Awareness I urge my colleagues to cosponsor olutionary War. Nero Hawley, a slave Month, Americans are able to reaffirm this commonsense legislation. We owe who joined the Continental Army and our national, state and local level com- it to our brave men and women in uni- served at Valley Forge, was later freed mitment to living healthy, drug-free form who put their lives on the line for after the war. You can visit his grave lives. our country that the VA has the tools today at Riverside Cemetery in Trum- f it needs to better serve new veterans bull. Jupiter Mars lived an extraor- accessing the care they have earned. dinary life, serving in the Continental VA EMERGENCY CARE f Army during the war. He now rests in Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, on Mon- peace in beautiful Norfolk, CT. Cato day I introduced a bill, S. 1588, with CONGRATULATING AZERBAIJAN Meed enlisted in the Continental Army Senators MORAN, ISAKSON, and BEGICH Mr. BURR. Mr President, today I in Norwich in 1777, and served at Val- to provide an emergency safety net to wish to congratulate and offer my sup- ley Forge with General Washington. roughly 144,000 veterans waiting for VA port and encouragement to the people These soldiers fought in every battle care. I thank my colleagues for their and government of Azerbaijan. On Oc- of the Revolutionary War, from the

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