Three MA Bills Included In Heroin Task Force Legislative Agenda

Today, the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic announced its legislative agenda to address all aspects of the opioid crisis. The Task Force is a group of Members working together to combat the opioid and heroin crisis and promote substantial bills in anticipation of a large piece of legislation targeting this national epidemic.

Of the fifteen bills included in the Task Force's agenda, three bipartisan ones are sponsored by Massachusetts Members: Rep. Bill Keating's HR 2335, the Stopp Tampering of Prescription Pills (STOPP) Act, Rep. Richard E. Neal's HR 1821, Opioid Overdose Reduction Act, and Rep. Katherine Clark's HR 4599, the Reducing Unused Medications Act. Rep. Clark is also the lead cosponsor of an additional bill in the agenda, HR 4586, Lali's Law.

According to the Task Force regarding the pieces of legislation included in their agenda: "[we] support[] the following bipartisan legislation to address the opioid crisis that continues to take thousands of lives in districts across the country. These bills do not represent all of the positive steps that Members of the House are advocating, but are bills that we hope House and Committee leadership will prioritize for rapid consideration on the floor or be incorporated into other legislation."

"Substance abuse is an issue that has no political affiliation and no racial, religious, or socio-economic boundaries. It affects every community in the country. And as a former District Attorney, I have seen far too many families devastated by this epidemic," said Rep. Bill Keating. "The Task Force's agenda demonstrates that we have the support of Members on both sides of the aisle to combat opioid and heroin abuse. We have strong pieces of legislation providing common-sense solutions from every angle of the problem -- from enforcement to prevention to treatment and recovery. The time to act has long since passed. We must move on these initiatives now."

"The heroin and prescription drug abuse problem in America has reached epidemic proportions. There is not a family in Massachusetts that has not been touched by substance abuse, and the obituaries are filled each day with young people who lost their battle with addiction. Finding a comprehensive solution to this opioid crisis must be one of our countries top priorities, and we must act swiftly before more lives are destroyed by these deadly drugs," said Rep. Richard E. Neal.

"Across Massachusetts and the nation, too many parents are desperately trying to save their child from the opioid crisis' deadly grip," said Rep. Katherine Clark. "This public health crisis calls on Democrats and Republicans to put all differences aside and give our country the tools it needs to save lives and end the scourge of this epidemic."

Rep. Keating's STOPP ACT mandates the creation of physical and pharmacological tamper-resistant formulations for commonly abused painkillers by directing the FDA to deny approval to new oral opioids that do not have abuse-deterrent properties if an abuse-deterrent drug containing the same opioid is available.

Rep. Neal's Opioid Overdose Reduction Act provides an exemption from civil liability for trained and certified officials during the administration of opioid overdose-reversing drugs.

Rep. Clark's Reducing Unused Medications Act allows prescriptions for opioid medications to be partially filled by pharmacists at the request of patients or doctors. The remainder of the prescription could be filled but not beyond the date that the original prescription would have expired.

Rep. Clark's Lali's Law creates a competitive grant program that will help states increase access to naloxone. The primary purpose of the grant is to fund state programs that allow pharmacists to distribute naloxone without a prescription.

Comprehensive legislation aimed at tackling the national opioid epidemic is expected to be taken up by the House this year.

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