{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://butterfield.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/butterfield-hudson-applaud-passage-of-bipartisan-ems-bill", "Butterfield, Hudson Applaud Passage of Bipartisan EMS Bill", "2017-11-06", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "NC", "G. Butterfield", "B001251", "butterfield.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u00a0\u2013 U.S. Representatives G. K. Butterfield (D- NC-01) and Richard Hudson (R-NC-08) today applauded the passage of their bipartisan bill, the\u00a0Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act, H.R. 304. \nIn January, Reps. Butterfield and Hudson re-introduced the\u00a0Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act to amend the Controlled Substances Act to enable paramedics and other emergency medical services (EMS) professionals to continue to administer controlled substances, such as anti-seizure medications, to patients pursuant to standing orders issued by their EMS agency\u2019s medical director.\u00a0 Without this solution, quality emergency care may decrease and patients could suffer simply because law and regulation have not kept up with the evolution of modern medicine.\u00a0 \nThe bill passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support on Friday, November 3.\u00a0 This bipartisan, bicameral legislation now heads to the President\u2019s desk to be signed into law.\n\u201cPassage of this legislation is a breakthrough for the delivery of medication in emergency situations,\u201d said Congressman Butterfield.\u00a0 \u201cThrough this bill, we hope to ensure patients receive treatment when they need it most, particularly in rural communities like those in eastern North Carolina where the patient may be far removed from an emergency room.\u00a0 I commend my colleagues for coming together to pass this potentially life-saving measure so that patients can receive treatment as quickly as possible.\u201d\n\u201cAfter more than a year of hard work, I\u2019m pleased to see this important bill finally head to President Trump\u2019s desk,\u201d said Congressman Hudson.\u00a0 \u201cThis is an example of how to get things done \u2014 finding common ground and advancing bipartisan solutions to get results people deserve.\u201d\nThis critical legislation is supported by several emergency medicine advocacy groups and professional organizations, including: \n\"NAEMSP applauds legislation led by Reps. Richard Hudson,\u00a0G.K. Butterfield and Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. and Michael Bennett that Congress passed ensuring that life-saving EMS professionals are able to deliver emergency medication to the patients that so desperately need them,\" said Brent Myers, MD, MPH, FACP, FAEMS, President, National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP).\u00a0 \"Without this solution, quality emergency care and patients would have been endangered simply because law and regulation have not kept up with the evolution of modern medicine.\u00a0 This is an important clarification of law that allows our first responders to continue administering life-saving medications to patients when they need them most.\"\n\u201cThe ability to use controlled substances in the prehospital setting as appropriate is essential to saving lives, managing pain and improving health outcomes,\u201d\u00a0said Paul D. Kivela, MD, MBA, FACEP, President, American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).\u00a0 \u201cThis legislation will help protect the role of EMS medical directors and ability of first responders to treat patients with appropriate and necessary medication.\u201d\n\u201cUtilizing standing orders to deliver life-saving EMS medications rapidly remains an important cornerstone of effective pre-hospital emergency medical care,\u201d said Harold A. Schaitberger, General President, International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).\u00a0 \u201cWe applaud Representatives Hudson and Butterfield for their laser-focused attention on correcting a bureaucratic hindrance that had the potential to delay the safe administration of life-saving medicines to Americans suffering from serious medical conditions.\u201d\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://butterfield.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/butterfield-hudson-applaud-passage-of-bipartisan-ems-bill"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7336781602352858, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}