Pubdate: Thu, 03 Mar 2016
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Copyright: 2016 Associated Press
Contact: http://services.bostonglobe.com/news/opeds/letter.aspx?id=6340
Website: http://bostonglobe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52
Author: Andrew Taylor, Associated Press

SENATE REJECTS ADDING $600M TO ANTIHEROIN LEGISLATION

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate Wednesday rejected a Democratic effort 
to add $600 million to a bipartisan bill targeting heroin and opioid abuse.

Supporters of the immediate funding won a majority of the Senate 
votes. But the 48-to-47 tally fell short of the 60 votes required for 
an attempt by Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire, to 
add the money.

Shaheen praised the underlying bill, which has sweeping bipartisan 
backing, but said "the reality is unless we provide the resources to 
make these programs work it's like giving a drowning person a life 
preserver that has no air in it."

Republicans opposed to the proposal said there's plenty of previously 
approved money in the pipeline and additional funding can wait until 
this year's round of regular spending bills.

The underlying bill is a bipartisan response to an epidemic that has 
seen the drug overdose death rate more than double since 2000, with 
over 47,000 fatalities in 2014, according to the government. Over 
28,000 of those deaths were from misuse of opioids and heroin.

The bill is most visibly supported by several Republicans up for 
reelection in states carried twice by President Obama, including Rob 
Portman of Ohio, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, and Mark Kirk of 
Illinois. Each supported the immediate funding, though Shaheen's 
effort was axed by Republicans opposed to breaching budget limits to 
provide the funding.

The bill would create grant programs to help states, local 
governments, and nonprofit organizations expand drug prevention and 
treatment programs and bolster some law enforcement efforts.

The measure is expected to pass next week after a procedural vote and 
action on further amendments. The House is working on similar legislation.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom