Duckworth Statement on Senate Passage of Bipartisan Legislation to Address Opioid Crisis

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Following the Senate’s passage of bipartisan legislation last night to address the opioid crisis, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement. The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 takes important steps to combat the opioid epidemic by establishing comprehensive opioid recovery centers, investing in community-based prevention efforts and giving law enforcement stronger tools to help confiscate illegal substances, such as fentanyl, that are being mailed into our country by foreign suppliers.

“The opioid epidemic has taken far too many lives. In 2017, we lost more than 72,000 sons and daughters, and Veterans were more than twice as likely to be killed by an overdose,” said Duckworth. “This bipartisan legislation is a much-needed step that will help combat this devastating epidemic and help curb opioid addiction before it starts.”

The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 is a bipartisan bill package of over 70 pieces of legislation. The bill will now head to a conference committee with members of the House of Representatives. It increases funding for research and development into alternative treatments, creates a pilot program to provide individuals in recovery with temporary housing, ensures that pregnant women who are struggling with addiction are able to receive care while remaining together with their babies and provides additional training to first responders who arrive on the scene of an overdose. The bill also improves coordination between the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to improve the detection and seizure of illegal drugs arriving in the United States through the Postal Service. 

-30-

• Print
• Tweet