Whitehouse Calls for Strong Addiction and Recovery Bill

Press Release

Today, the Senate moved to begin bicameral negotiations to reconcile House and Senate bills to address the national opioid addiction crisis. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who authored the Senate-passed bill, welcomed the Senate's action, and offered a motion to instruct Senate conferees to press for key Senate provisions in their negotiations. The motion was adopted by the Senate 72-24.

"The opioid crisis continues to afflict Americans in every walk of life and in communities across the country. I am glad Congress has drawn a step closer to enacting meaningful solutions," said Whitehouse. "Addiction is a terrible disease and recovery is a long and difficult path. We need a federal response that directs funds to those efforts that are based on the soundest science and are most likely to succeed. Our Senate bill met that bar and enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support. The conference bill should do the same."

The Senate passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), sponsored by Whitehouse and Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), in March by a vote of 94-1. In May, the House passed a package of 18 bills addressing various aspects of the crisis by a vote of 400-5.

Whitehouse and Portman's approach was born of a thorough process that included several bicameral congressional forums, guidance by key scientists in the field, and the input of over 100 national organizations directly involved in tackling the opiate epidemic at the local, state, and national levels.

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