Capito Secures Important Legislative Priorities in Opioid Response Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a co-sponsor of the Opioid Crisis Response Act, today welcomed passage of the bill by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. The comprehensive, bipartisan legislation will help address the growing opioid epidemic and includes a number of key provisions Senator Capito has championed and helped secure in the bill.

“In West Virginia, we understand more than most just how far-reaching and devastating the consequences of the opioid epidemic are, but we also have unique insights into the kinds of solutions that can help us beat it. That’s why I worked so hard to help shape this comprehensive legislation and secure in it provisions that will help strengthen efforts to fight the drug crisis,” Senator Capito said. “From encouraging the partial fill of opioid prescriptions and helping those who have struggled with addiction get back on their feet to addressing the ripple effects the crisis is having on children and families—these provisions will help us tackle the problem from all angles.”

As approved by the committee today, the Opioid Crisis Response Act contains provisions based on a number of bills Senator Capito has introduced, including:  

• The Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Center (CORC) Act, which would establish and expand comprehensive opioid recovery centers for Americans struggling with addiction.

• Grants included in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) 2.0 Act to help states implement plans of safe care for substance-exposed infants.

• Provisions included in CARA 2.0 to support State Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs).

• Changes to the 21st Century Cures Act that will focus federal funds on states that have been hardest hit by the opioid crisis.

• The Safe Disposal of Unused Medication Act, which would address the problem of unused prescription drugs when a patient is receiving hospice care at home.

• Support for an initiative to help prevent abuse and misuse and support treatment of and recovery from opioid use disorder in children, adolescents, and young adults—something addressed in CARA 2.0 and the Youth Opioid Use Treatment Help (YOUTH) Act.

• Language from the Preventing Overdoses While in Emergency Departments Act, which would help improve coordination and continuation of care and treatment after an opioid overdose.

 More information on the legislation is available here.

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