House Expects to Finish Work on Opioid Bills, With Eye Toward Senate

The House expects to complete voting on almost 20 bills for combating the opioid epidemic, with plans to hold a conference with the Senate over the summer, reports the Washington Examiner . The House passed about 30 bills last week ranging from increasing treatment options to curbing shipments of illegal opioids from abroad. Next week, the House will consider about 20 bills and a legislative vehicle that would integrate the legislation in a single package. "Altogether, this will be the most significant congressional effort against a single drug crisis in history," wrote Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). A bipartisan coalition of committee leaders has issued H.R. 6, the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act, which will function as a legislative vehicle to bundle all of the opioid legislation that the House passes. However, Democrats warn the bills will be ineffective without additional funding. In response, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has said Congress has passed billions in new funding to fight the opioid crisis, including $4 billion in a March spending deal. He also thinks the Senate is "moving towards a package."