McConnell Statement on Senate Passage of Bill to Help Address Opioid Epidemic

Statement

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today regarding passage of Jessie's Law, which now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration:

"The Senate took another important step forward this week in combating the opioid epidemic that is devastating families and communities across the country. Jessie's Law will help medical professionals make more-informed treatment decisions for their patients by allowing past history of drug addiction to be included in patients' medical records.

"Kentuckians in cities and rural areas continue to fight to repair the serious damage that substance abuse has wrought on our families and communities. Kentucky is among one of the hardest hit states. In fact, Kentucky's Office of Drug Control Policy reports that in 2016 more than 1,200 Kentuckians died from drug overdose. Even as this problem continues to rip families apart and devastate our communities, the rate of drug overdose deaths unfortunately continues to grow. I remain extremely concerned about the impact prescription drug abuse and the use of heroin has had on Kentuckians, and I will continue working to fight this epidemic."

Background:

Combatting opioid addiction will require the collaborative efforts of individuals, organizations, and communities across the Commonwealth. That is why in April 2015, Senator McConnell invited Michael Botticelli, then Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), also known as the "Drug Czar," to attend a forum in Northern Kentucky to hear firsthand accounts of the devastating impact of prescription drug and heroin abuse in the Commonwealth. Senator McConnell is committed to working with law enforcement and medical professionals in an effort to help provide them with the tools and resources they need to combat drug abuse. This effort has included advocating on behalf of several Kentucky counties to ensure their successful inclusion into the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HITDA), which qualifies them for additional federal assistance to combat drug trafficking threats. In fact, Senator McConnell advocated directly to the Administration for Campbell, Kenton, and Boone counties to receive HITDA designation, which ONDCP granted on October 13, 2016. Additionally, since 2015, Senator McConnell has participated in over a dozen roundtable conversations across the Commonwealth with law enforcement and front line health providers specifically to discuss efforts to combat addiction.

Senator McConnell also made passing the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) of 2016 (S. 524) a top priority. Senator McConnell was pleased to see the measure pass the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support, and on July 22, 2016, CARA was signed into law. The implementation of CARA will help tackle the prescription opioid and heroin crisis by expanding education and prevention initiatives, improving treatment programs, and bolstering law enforcement efforts. Specifically, this legislation authorizes many important programs-- such as programs for treating opioid-addicted pregnant and postpartum women, programs to improve training for first responders, and grants to build communities of recovery.

In addition, the 21st Century Cures legislation, which passed the U.S. Senate under Senator McConnell's leadership on December 7, 2016, and was signed into law by President Obama on December 13, 2016, authorized $1 billion over two years to states to combat the opioid epidemic. Kentucky received nearly $10.5 million of this funding in April 2017. Most recently, on May 4, 2017 the U.S. Senate passed, and Senator McConnell voted for the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017. Importantly, this bill provides over $800 million for health-related anti-opioid programs, including those authorized in CARA and in the 21st Century Cures Act, over $276 million for justice and law enforcement anti-opioid programs, and $50 million for veterans' anti-opioid programs.

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