Pubdate: Fri, 08 Apr 2016
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 2016 The Washington Post Company
Contact:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491
Author: Karoun Demirjian

HOUSE TO VOTE ON BILLS TO FIGHT OPIOID ABUSE

House Republican leaders plan to hold a vote next month on 
legislation tackling heroin and painkiller abuse, a key issue to many 
members whose districts have been hit hard by the opioid epidemic.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced the plan on 
Thursday, saying the vote will occur after committees finish working 
on the issue in the next few weeks.

"We want to build on efforts to prevent addiction and treat those 
suffering, crafting legislation that will gather bipartisan support 
and get signed into law," McCarthy wrote in an op-ed in the 
Independent Journal Review. "The president's own proposals to combat 
opioid addiction demonstrate that there is ample opportunity to reach 
a bipartisan consensus, and the Senate's recent work to combat opioid 
addiction shows bicameral legislative interest."

Last month, the Senate passed legislation in a 94-to-1 vote that 
would attempt to address heroin and painkiller abuse by establishing 
grant programs to help state and local governments improve education 
and treatment, encouraging medical providers to reduce unnecessary 
prescriptions and giving local officials tools to try to lower the 
death rate from overdoses.

The House plans to consider several bills written by its members 
instead of running with the Senate legislation.

The proposals under consideration include bills that would focus on 
improving education and treatment, create best practices for 
prescribing opioids, help babies born to addicted mothers, and crack 
down on the illegal drug trade.

Also on the list is a bill from Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. 
(R-Wis.) that closely mirrors the Senate-passed legislation.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom