Lamar Alexander (R-TN), chairman of the Senate Health Committee, recently encouraged the U.S. Senate to support a bipartisan bill that could change the fight against the opioid epidemic in the U.S.
This same bill passed earlier in 2016, with a vote of 94-1. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill 407-5.
“This is a bipartisan bill to reform important programs that already passed 94-1 in the Senate earlier this year and has had the input and hard work of many members,” Alexander said. “In addition, over the last three years, we've increased funding for opioids already by 542 percent -- that's over five times more than two and a half years ago.”
Now that the legislation passed the full House, the Senate must decide whether to approve it. If it is approved, the president will sign the new bill into law.
The new bill would support the prevention, education, recovery and treatment efforts that are meant to eliminate the current opioid abuse crisis. Through these means, people who have an opioid use disorder will be able to become well and stay well.
“You would think that when something which has passed the Senate 94-1 comes back for approval, it would pass again 94-1,” Alexander said. “The people on the front lines are counting on us to boost their efforts to fight this epidemic, which is killing more people every year in my state than gunshots or car wrecks. It’s time to get a result.”
