House Overwhelmingly Passes Opioid Addiction Legislation

Press Release

Today, the House of Representatives passed the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act, containing nearly all of the legislation that Congressman Frank Guinta and members of the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic announced at a Capitol Hill press conference this month.

The Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act (H.R. 5046) contains Rep. Guinta's bills to increase funding to long-term recovery programs, as well as to spread Good Samaritan laws that protect first responders, who administer emergency treatment to overdose victims, from prosecution. Other components of the Congressman's STOP ABUSE Act, such as an inter-agency task force to coordinate law enforcement and public health agencies, became part of today's House action.

House and Senate members will include it in a conference report for the President to sign. "I expect the Senate and White House to quickly approve today's legislation, the product of a partnership between House members and our constituents, on the front lines of a nationwide fight against heroin and opioid abuse," said Rep. Guinta, who thanked his Republican and Democrat colleagues. The House voted 400-5 in support of Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act.

"However, this is just the latest step. To end the plague of addiction and overdose in New Hampshire, we'll need to further strengthen prevention, treatment and recovery programs, in addition to border security," said the Congressman. During a recent trip to the Texas border, Rep. Guinta learned about the role international drug cartels play in his state's growing number of overdose deaths, he said.

"The opioid overdose epidemic is taking a terrible toll," said Greg Williams, Co-Founder of Facing Addiction, a nationwide non-profit group. "More than 23 million Americans are recovering from substance use disorders. With ongoing community-based support, they can sustain long-term recovery. Facing Addiction is grateful to Representatives Guinta and Anne Kuster for their amendment to H.R. 5046 to ensure that necessary support. We're looking forward to the President's signature by July 4th!"

To advance solutions to New Hampshire's high rate of overdose victims, the Congressman -- Manchester's former mayor -- co-founded the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic with fellow Granite Stater Rep. Anne Kuster (NH-02). He is an original co-sponsor of the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act, legislation underlying the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act.

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