Federal Law Enforcement Officers Endorse Rooney Fentanyl Bill, Florida Granted Millions to Combat Opioids

Press Release

As the opioid epidemic continues to race across the country at devastating rates, Congressman Tom Rooney (R-FL) is pushing to get illicit drugs off the streets and bring funding home for Florida to help combat the issue. The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) endorsed Rooney's legislation H.R. 1781, The Comprehensive Fentanyl Control Act of 2017, while the Department of Health and Human Services granted Florida millions of dollars to combat the opioid epidemic.

FLEOA is the nation's largest professional, non-profit association representing 26,000 federal law enforcement officers from 65 agencies. In their letter of support, FLEOA emphasized the dangers of the synthetic opioid fentanyl and stressed how important Rooney's bill is to prevent the spread of the drug.

Additionally, yesterday the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the first round of grants to help states and territories combat the opioid epidemic. The state of Florida is slated to receive the third highest grant in the nation of $27,150,403, third only behind California and Texas. The funding is being provided to states to support a comprehensive array of prevention, treatment, and recovery services depending on the needs of recipients.

Rooney applauded the actions of both FLEOA and HHS by saying, "Getting a handle on the opioid epidemic is going to need hard word from federal, state and local officials. I am pleased to see everyone channeling their efforts and appropriate funding to face the issue with a comprehensive approach. I am hopeful that together we can make strides to save lives."

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