Legislative Action on Opioids

Prescription medication

July 10, 2018

NASHVILLE, Tenn (RFD-TV) Congress has a message for communities struggling with the opioid crisis: help is on the way.

House lawmakers passed a package of 58 bills in recent weeks, all bent on addressing America’s opioid crisis. But some worry these measures are just tinkering around the edge.

With three fourths of all farmers in rural America being impacted by the opioid crisis, some lawmakers say even this bill doesn’t address the magnitude of the crisis. Representatives and Senators are calling for significantly more funding to give communities more resources to cope.

A recent Senate appropriations bill also allocated $1.5 billion in additional funds for combating opioid addiction, and increased funding for rural telehealth programs. However, the Support Patients and Communities Act has not yet been taken up by the full Senate.

Watch the video above for more details.