Goodlatte Applauds Passage of Legislation to Prevent and Treat Opioid Addiction

Press Release

The House of Representatives today approved by a vote of 413-5 the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act (H.R. 5046). This bipartisan bill, authored by Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), combats the opioid epidemic by establishing a streamlined, comprehensive opioid abuse grant program that encompasses a variety of new and existing purposes, such as: vital training and resources for first responders and law enforcement; criminal investigations for the unlawful distribution of opioids; drug courts; and residential substance abuse treatment. The bill authorizes $103 million annually for the grant program and is fully offset.

Additionally, as a growing number of new abusers of prescription drugs get their first pills by pilfering friends or family members' prescriptions, the bill as passed contains an amendment offered by Representative Mike Bishop (R-Mich.), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, which allows states to use funds under the comprehensive opioid abuse grant program to prevent prescription drug pilfering.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Crime Subcommittee Chairman Sensenbrenner praised the passage of the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act in the statements below.

Chairman Goodlatte: "The Comprehensive Opioid Abuse and Reduction Act represents government at its best. Not only does this bipartisan bill provide necessary resources to state and local governments to help prosecute opioid drug traffickers and help prevent and treat opioid addiction, it also saves taxpayers' dollars by streamlining the grant program to eliminate government waste and red tape. I thank Crime Subcommittee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner and Congressman Bishop for their work to end our nation's opioid epidemic and look forward to working with the Senate to send this bill to the President's desk."

Crime Subcommittee Chairman Sensenbrenner: "Today's passage of the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act is another important step forward in our fight against heroin and opioid addiction. It signals the seriousness of our national struggle with addiction, the need for immediate action, and the commitment of lawmakers to pass meaningful, bipartisan legislation. I'm optimistic about the future of this bill and the great good it will affect throughout the country."

Passage of H.R. 5046 follows House approval of several Judiciary Committee bills that curtail international drug trafficking into the United States, protect classified information about drug kingpins, increase the transparency and accountability of the comprehensive opioid abuse grant program, and study Good Samaritan laws that protect those who report or treat an overdose from criminal or civil liability.

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