“Allowing partisan delays to put women’s lives at risk is simply shameful.”

“Full reauthorization of the law is necessary to ensure authorities have all the resources they need to fight domestic violence.”

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spoke on the Senate floor today regarding reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery.

In the two decades since the Violence Against Women Act passed both houses of Congress on strong, bipartisan votes, incidents of domestic violence have fallen by 53 percent.

The law has helped millions of women and children escape their attackers and get the justice they deserve.

That’s why Congress twice reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act without a hint of controversy or a moment of delay.

But despite the overwhelming evidence that this legislation saves lives and protects women, House Republicans used every procedural trick in the book to block its reauthorization last Congress.

And despite strong, bipartisan support in the Senate, Republicans in the House refused to join the effort to renew our national commitment to ending domestic violence.

Allowing partisan delays to put women’s lives at risk is simply shameful.

If House Republicans believe domestic violence is no longer a problem in this country, they’re flat wrong.

Every day, three women in America die at the hands of their abusers.

And every day nine more women escape with their lives – but with the physical and emotional scars of abuse.

More than a third of women in this country have been victims of violence, sexual assault or stalking by a partner.

It is in our power to help them. And it is unthinkable that Republicans in the House would prevent us from taking action.

Victims of violence and the law enforcement officials who support them have already waited too long for Congress to act.

This week, the Senate will pass a strong, bipartisan reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

I thank Chairman Leahy, Senator Murray and the women of the Senate Democratic Caucus for their leadership on this issue.

I am pleased so many of my Senate Republicans colleagues have expressed support for swift action on the Violence Against Women Act during this new Congress.

The Senate will not allow women to be denied the protection they need and deserve.

We must ensure law enforcement has the means to stop these heinous crimes.

And we must guarantee communities have the resources to support victims – regardless of sexual orientation, immigration status or where they live – as they heal.

Every victim of domestic violence deserves the same vigorous protections under the law.

Because of the unique nature of the crime, combating domestic violence and protecting those affected also requires unique tools.

Reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act would help law enforcement continue to develop effective strategies to prosecute cases involving violent crimes against women.

It would provide funding for shelters and transitional housing programs for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, and to help victims get back on their feet.

It would make legal assistance available to victims of violence, and safeguard children and youth affected by dating violence and stalking.

Although the Violence Against Women Act expired in 2011, many of the programs established under the law have been funded by continuing resolutions.

But a full reauthorization of the law is necessary to ensure authorities have all the resources they need to fight domestic violence.

I hope the Senate’s bipartisan action this week will send a strong message to House Republican leaders that further partisan delay is unacceptable.

With Theft Of Prescription Drugs From Cargo Trucks And Warehouses Up 350% And Armed Robberies Of Pharmacies At An All Time High, Senators Put Forth Plan To Combat Pharma-Theft At Every Part Of Supply Chain

Legislation Will Hike Sentences For Rx Theft And For Selling Stolen Products And Will Give Law Enforcement Additional Tools To Fight Sophisticated Rx Theft Rings

Washington, DC— U.S. Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Bob Casey (D-PA) today announced detailed legislation to crack down on the dramatically increasing theft of prescription drugs and medical devices – everything from Oxycodone to insulin to infant formula.  These type of thefts have skyrocketed and become increasingly sophisticated in recent years and threaten the safety and security of communities and patients across the country.  Pharmaceutical drug theft fuels crime and addiction throughout the country, endangers patients who unknowingly use these black market drugs, exposes newborns to harm and in some cases could even put money in the hands of dangerous terrorists.

To that end, the senators unveiled a plan to crack down on pharmaceutical drug theft along every point of the supply chain – from the warehouse to the delivery truck to the pharmacy. The plan would combat theft by hiking penalties, making theft of medical products a predicate for the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law and giving law enforcement officials the tools they need – including wiretaps – to fight back against the dangerous drug rings.

The senators are announcing legislation that would:

·         Increase possible sentences for robbing pharmacies of controlled substances;

·         Increase sentences for the theft of medical products and for transportation and storage of stolen medical products, and apply that increase to each current section of federal law that could be used by prosecutors to charge such crimes;

·         Enhance penalties for stolen medical product “fences,” including individuals and organizations who knowingly obtain stolen products for resale into the supply chain;

·         Increase sentences when harm occurs or trust is broken – in other words, where the defendant is employed by an organization in the supply chain or where there was a death as the result of ingestion of a stolen substance;

·         Make theft of medical products a predicate for the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law, giving law enforcement access to wiretaps and other sophisticated tools;

·         Provide for civil penalties and forfeiture of ill-gotten gains derived from medical product theft.

“Prescription drug abuse derails lives, ruins careers, puts enormous strain on families, and dims the promise and potential of our children and young people,” said Rockefeller.  “While this is a serious problem throughout the country, it is heart-breaking that prescription drug deaths have been particularly devastating in West Virginia. We need everyone at the table – from law enforcement to public health, teachers to students, families and treatment professionals – to stop prescription drug abuse.  I appreciate Senator Schumer’s efforts to combat this problem and I will continue to make this initiative a top priority.”

“Criminals are executing Mission Impossible-style heists, but law enforcement is stuck with Dick Tracey-era tools,” said Schumer. “Allowing these crimes to be prosecuted under RICO laws will allow law enforcement to use tools such as wiretaps and allow them to strike back at criminals with both hands.”

“This bill is one front in on our war against prescription drug abuse in Ohio,” said Brown. “When unintentional drug poisoning surpasses motor vehicle crashes and suicide as the leading cause of injury death in Ohio, the prescription drug abuse epidemic has left too many families and communities are suffering. This bill is about putting criminals on notice and making sure the penalties fit the huge societal costs associated with the crime.”

“As I former prosecutor, I know how important it is to give law enforcement the tools they need to break up sophisticated drug rings,” said Klobuchar. “Black market prescription drugs pose a risk to patients and threaten the secure supply of life-saving medications and treatments. It’s time to crack down on the criminals who are fueling addictions and putting patients at risk.”

“These days there’s a black market for just about anything,” said Nelson.  “When it comes to stuff like drugs and baby formula, the last thing you want is someone getting sick from bad food or tainted medicine.  The people committing this kind of crime are putting at risk the safety and health of others. ”

“Criminals are targeting pharmacies and older Pennsylvanians to get their hands on prescription drugs and fuel the drug trade,” said Senator Casey.  “This legislation will increase penalties and help law enforcement target this battle in the war on drug crime.”

As the numbers show, pharmaceutical drug theft, whether it takes the form of robbery of pharmacies, hijacking of pharmaceutical delivery trucks or other forms of theft, is a growing concern for law enforcement officials nationwide.  According to data from the National Drug Intelligence Center, the amount of Controlled Prescription Drugs (CPDs) stolen in armed robberies doubled from more than 500,000 milliliters to nearly 1.1 million in 2007, while the amount lost in transit increased from more than 1.4 million milliliters in 2003 to more than 2.5 million in 2007.  Last year $184 million worth of prescription drugs were stolen in the U.S., a 350% increase from 2007.  Finally, since 2007 over 1800 pharmacies have been robbed. The crime wave has overwhelmed local law enforcement and drawn the attention of the federal authorities, but federal penalties for pharmacy theft are currently very low and do not provide federal law enforcement with all the tools they need.

Pharmaceutical theft not only leads to more addictive and illegal pain killers on our streets, it also puts in jeopardy the health of a patient who unwittingly uses these drugs after they end up on the black market or find their way back into pharmacies or hospitals. Stolen prescription drugs may end up in the hands of counterfeiters who can re-label or replace their contents with other ingredients. The case of Timothy Fagan provides just one example of what can go wrong when criminals tamper with stolen prescription drugs. As the New York Times reported, the sixteen year old Long Island boy “experienced painful spasms after getting a diverted dose of Epogen to treat his anemia after a liver transplant. The drug had been relabeled, stored in the back of a strip club and ultimately resold to a national wholesaler and dispensed by a pharmacy.” The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned last April that “There have been several cases where patients experienced adverse reactions from stolen drugs, reactions that were most likely due to improper storage and handling.” The Wall Street Journal noted that “Last year, several diabetes patients lost control of their blood-sugar levels after they unwittingly used stolen insulin, which must be refrigerated,” and in August 2010, the FDA issued a press release cautioning that the agency “has received multiple reports of patients who suffered an adverse event due to poor control of glucose levels after using a vial from one of the stolen lots.”

Stolen and distributed insulin has led to at least 40 instances of people becoming sick from using expired drugs in the following states and territories: Arizona, Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.

Stolen infant formula that ends up on the black market can also endanger the health and well-being of newborns.  Following the arrest of 21 men and women who stole more than $17.5 million worth of Similac, Good Start and other brands of baby formula in 2009, the Orlando Sentinel wrote that “Thousands of cans of baby formula stolen from local grocers by a large-scale organized ring of thieves and resold on the black market could pose a danger to babies and newborns.” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd warned that “If you buy [the baby formula] on the black market, you may very well be poisoning your child.”

The theft of infant formula has even been linked to terrorism. In a February 2005 testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, then Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI) Director Robert Mueller said “Middle Eastern criminal enterprises involved in the organized theft and resale of infant formula pose not only an economic threat, but a public health threat to infants, and a potential source of material support to a terrorist organization.” According to the Christian Science Monitor the FBI has traced money from infant-formula traffickers in the United States back to nations where terrorist groups, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, are active. In a 200-page report, the National Retail Federation called “organized retail theft” of infant formula “a serious security issue” for retailers.

Senator Rockefeller, Chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care, today said he will introduce separate legislation to help stem the tide of prescription drug abuse, illegal diversions, and deaths. Among other provisions, the Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2011 would: improve Drug Enforcement Administration prescriber education requirements; help states establish interoperable prescription drug monitoring programs to prevent interstate and intrastate “doctor shopping” and drug trafficking; and remove dangerous opioids from the market.  Rockefeller has been working for several years to raise awareness about prescription drug abuse and the need for comprehensive legislation to address this growing problem.