Congressional Record—Senate S828
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S828 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE February 5, 2015 the floor, and I thank the Senator for time—for us to take action on this sub- debilitating for people in Maine and his help on this bill. I hope we will ject. around the country and is responsible have an opportunity to show, in a bi- I hope my colleagues on all the rel- for more than $500 billion a year—$1⁄2 partisan fashion, that we can pass leg- evant committees can come together trillion a year—in direct and indirect islation to help job growth here in the in the next several months—before the medical costs. United States. summer—to take action to deal with Periodically in my life I have experi- With that, I yield the floor to my col- this problem. There is no excuse, par- enced back pain, and when it persists league from Maine. ticularly given the continuous warn- for a period of time, it changes every- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- ings we are having, for not dealing thing. It changes your mood, it ator from Maine. with the issue of the cyber threat to changes your attitude, it changes your Mr. KING. Mr. President, first I wish this country. ability to get anything done, to focus to associate myself with the comments This week it is Anthem. A few weeks on the work at hand. There are people of the Senator from Maryland and my ago it was Sony. What is going to hap- in this country who are suffering—the senior colleague from Maine. I know pen when it is the gas pipeline system, estimate is 100 million people suffer this industry is growing in Maine. It is when it is the financial system, when it chronic pain at some point in their entrepreneurial, exciting, energetic, is the New York Stock Exchange, when lives. That is why the work done at the and they are adding jobs and only want people’s bank accounts disappear over- University of New England Center for to continue to grow. night? It is time for us to act, and it is the Study of Pain and Sensory Func- I think this bill makes total sense. It time for us to act promptly. tion, where Dr. Bilsky is one of the leaders, is so important. is a way we can express support for the f entrepreneurial and innovative growth This center is built around a core of businesses in all of our States. I am MEDICAL RESEARCH group of scientists, educators, health delighted to be able to join and essen- Mr. KING. Mr. President, I also come care professionals, whose research at tially add my encouragement and sup- to the floor today with some good the University of New England is fo- port to your work on this bill. Since it news. It comes as no surprise that our cused on understanding the is a bipartisan bill, I hope we can move debates here in the Senate focus gen- neurobiology of pain. How does it hap- pen? How is it caused? What can we do it through this body in a reasonably erally on challenges, such as the one I about it? short period of time. just outlined, that face the United Faculty and students work together f States. After all, that is our task and it is our fundamental responsibility to to study the causes of chronic pain and CYBER SECURITY identify our Nation’s problems and apply this knowledge to preventing and better treating this very challenging Mr. KING. Mr. President, there are work together to find solutions. two items I want to touch on today. But too often—and I am sure every- and very prevalent condition. Projects One is bad news and the other is good one in this body realizes—the bad news include working to develop new kinds of nonopioid painkillers. That is a big news. This week we learned there was a gets more attention than the good deal because of all of the side effects data breach of 80 million people’s news. The old saying is, bad news gets and dangers of opioid painkillers which records—300,000 in Maine—at Anthem. halfway around the world before good we are experiencing in our society. To Fortunately the data breach did not in- news gets its shoes tied. The problems develop nonopioid painkillers would be clude credit card numbers, but it did we face should not, I believe, drown out a tremendous boon to this country, include Social Security numbers. This the accomplishments of our citizens as those which don’t have the side effects news comes about a month after Sony. we go about our work every day here in of opioids. They are also studying the What is it going to take for this the United States. genes and proteins that can turn acute body, for this Congress, for this city, to I think we should take a little time pain into chronic pain and trying to act to protect us against these threats? every now and then to reflect on the find out the genetic and chromosomal We keep getting warning shots, and we great things that are happening all basis of this terrible problem. keep ignoring them. over America, and in my case in Maine. As with any success story, certain I am going to have to go home this There are stories of perseverance, inno- key events, people, and investments weekend, and 300,000 people in Maine vation, individual accomplishments, have made this research community are going to say: What have you done and community effort. It is in that what it is today. The recruitment of to keep this from happening? Am I spirit that I rise today with good news key faculty scientists, such as Dr. really going to be able to say: Well, it from my home State of Maine. Bilsky and his codirector Dr. Ian Meng, is complicated; we have four commit- I will spend a few minutes talking in the early 2000s was pivotal to this ef- tees of jurisdiction and it is very dif- about Dr. Ed Bilsky and the impressive fort. The addition of complementary ficult for us to make these decisions work he and a dedicated team of sci- research-driven faculty and adminis- and it takes some time? That is not entists, physicians, and students have trators as well as the launch at the good enough. been doing at one of my favorite university of the Center for Excellence The intelligence committee reported schools, the University of New England in the Neurosciences continue to move out a bill last July. We had a bill on in Biddeford, ME, to better understand this project forward. the floor here in the fall. It is time for and treat chronic pain. I should mention here the leadership us to act. We keep getting warned, and Dr. Bilsky was recently named a of Daniel Ripich, the president of the we keep not doing anything. member of the Dana Alliance for Brain University of New England, who is a I can’t justify it. There is no excuse Initiatives, a group of neuroscientists true visionary and a great leader in the for us not taking steps—concrete who work together to advance public advancement of science and medicine steps—to protect this country against education about the progress and bene- as well as the mission of this great uni- cyber attacks. They keep happening. fits of brain research and to provide in- versity. My regional representatives in Maine formation on the brain in a way that is The NIH took notice, awarding the have surveyed both small businesses understandable and accessible for those university a 5-year, $10 million grant in and health care facilities, and all of of us who don’t have a Ph.D. in neuro- 2012 to create the Center for the Study them either have been attacked or are science. of Pain and Sensory Function, focusing concerned about attacks. Whether it is His inclusion in this group is recogni- on the neurobiology of pain. As is often from a foreign country or whether it is tion of his terrific work to advance our the case, that Federal investment in from garden-variety criminals, the understanding of chronic pain. It is research, which I believe is one of the point is this is a major threat facing also a reflection of the prominent role most important and valuable invest- this country, and it is one we have he and his colleagues are playing in a ments the Federal Government can within our power—we can’t control it, critical national effort to address this make, has been critical to the growth but we can at least work together to problem. Chronic pain—and that means of these research opportunities and try to prevent it and to minimize the pain that persists for days, weeks, and projects and has helped to attract fur- damage. It is beyond time—way beyond months at a time—can be absolutely ther Federal and private investment. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:27 Feb 06, 2015 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G05FE6.050 S05FEPT1 smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with SENATE February 5, 2015 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S829 The importance of cooperation and a cherished friend, and an exceptional deepest condolences to his beautiful collaboration in a project such as this human being—Richard ‘‘Dick’’ Rich- wife Annette, whose loyal companion- cannot be overstated. Dr. Bilsky and ards.