House Committee Plans to Move More Than 50 Opioid Bills by May 17

The House Energy and Commerce Committee has scheduled two hearings in May to consider 57 pieces of legislation relating to the opioid epidemic, reports the Washington Examiner . The panel intends to hold a markup for legislation on May 9 and another on May 17. Committee leaders have stated they want to get the bills through the House by the Memorial Day recess, while the Senate is working on its own legislation. Some proposals seek to give law enforcement more tools to combat shipments of illegal copies of fentanyl, while others aim to revise Medicare and Medicaid, and some are designed to broaden treatment options such as expanding the use of telehealth to help addicts in rural communities. It remains uncertain whether six bills that were not considered during a subcommittee markup in April will be considered at the full committee markup.