Today, the House of Representatives passed a significant package of bipartisan bills to combat the opioid crisis.
H.R. 6, the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act passed the House in June, and the Senate passed similar legislation earlier this month. The House and Senate agreed upon the final legislation earlier this week, and it passed the House by a vote of 393-8. It now heads to the Senate for a final vote and then to President Trump to be signed into law.
Upon passage, Congressman Wenstrup (OH-02) released the following statement:
"Every family has been touched in some way by the opioid crisis. Last year, 4,854 Ohioans lost their lives to drug overdoses. Our communities have hurt too much, for too long. Congress is taking bold and substantial action to fight the opioid epidemic by combatting drug trafficking across our borders, establishing comprehensive opioid recovery programs, and improving prescription drug monitoring programs," said Congressman Brad Wenstrup.
Additional Information on Efforts to Combat Opioid Crisis:
The House of Representatives passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) in 2016, which awards grants to implement comprehensive community-wide strategies that address local drug crises. "Drug Free Cincinnati" was awarded a $50,000 grant this month under CARA.
Last Congress the House passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which also allocated grants to help states combat the opioid epidemic.
Earlier this week, the House appropriated $6.6 billion to combat the opioid crisis of Fiscal Year 2019.