Luther Strange praises U.S. Senate for passage of CARA, bill to combat opioid epidemic
Last week, the U.S. Senate passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), a bill aimed at providing states with the necessary tools to combat the scourge of heroin and opioid abuse that has plagued the nation recently. The legislation passed with only one vote in opposition, and a companion bill is set to go before the U.S. House of Representatives soon. Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange was quick to praise the Senate’s action. “While stronger enforcement is needed to reduce the disastrous impact of illegal drugs upon our society, we must also address the reality of addiction including the availability of effective treatment,” Strange said in a news release. “The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act provides a nationwide plan to tackle drug addiction with the goal of saving lives. We are grateful to the Senate for its passage of this legislation and urge the U.S. House to give CARA swift approval.” Strange and 37 Attorneys General from across the country penned a letter in September 2015 urging lawmakers to pass the legislation. Further, the Attorney General’s 2015 Law Enforcement Summit, which was attended by more than 700 officers from across the state, focused on ways to fight the drug epidemic through education and enforcement techniques. CARA includes provisions to tackle the following: Expand prevention and educational efforts – particularly aimed at teens, parents and other caretakers, and aging populations – to prevent the abuse of opioids and heroin, and to promote treatment and recovery; Expand the availability of naloxone to law enforcement agencies and other first responders to help in the reversal of overdoses to save lives; Expand resources to identify and treat incarcerated individuals suffering from addiction disorders promptly by collaborating with criminal justice workers and by providing evidence-based treatment; Expand disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications to keep them out of the hands of children and adolescents; Launch an evidence-based opioids and heroin treatment and intervention program to assist in treatment and recovery throughout the country; and Strengthen prescription drug-monitoring programs to help states monitor and track prescription drug diversion and to help at-risk individuals access services.
This week in the U.S. House of Representatives, Senate: Feb. 29 – Mar. 4, 2016
The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate both have a busy week ahead, as the House will focus on delaying an EPA rule described by opponents as job-killing and tackling a Medicaid issue, meanwhile the Senate will take on legislation to address drug abuse. House Schedule On Monday and Tuesday, the House is in session and will consider several bills under Suspension of the Rules. A full list of bills can be found here. On the floor this week: H.R. 3716: the Ensuring Terminated Providers are Removed from Medicaid and CHIP Act. The bill requires states to notify the Health and Human Services Department of health care providers who are terminated from the state’s Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) program because of fraud or other “for cause” reasons, and for HHS to maintain a database of terminated providers in order to prevent them from participating in another state’s Medicaid program. It also requires each state to publish a directory of health care and dental providers that accept Medicaid. Alabama co-sponsor(s): None. H.R. 4557: the Blocking Regulatory Interference from Closing Kilns Act. The bill delays new EPA rules that establish national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for the manufacturing of brick and structural clay products or clay ceramics until all judicial reviews are completed. Alabama co-sponsor(s): Rep. Martha Roby (AL-02); Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) On Friday, the House is not in session. Highlights of what is happening in House Committees this week: Budget Season: Budget season continues with the Natural Resources Committee holding a related hearing. The House Appropriations committee has also begun its FY17 hearing slate, a full list of those hearings can be found here. Executive Overreach Task Force: On Tuesday, the Executive Overreach Task Force will hold a hearing titled “The Original Understanding of the Role of Congress and How Far We’ve Drifted From It.” More information here. Encryption: On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing titled “The Encryption Tightrope: Balancing Americans’ Security and Privacy.” More information here. Jobs: On Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing titled “Getting Incentives Right: Connecting Low-Income Individuals with Jobs.” More information here. Veterans: On Wednesday, the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee will hold a joint hearing on “The Legislative Presentation of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.” On Thursday, the Committees will hold another joint hearing on “The legislative presentation from AMVETS, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Blinded Veterans Association, Gold Star Wives of America, the Wounded Warrior Project, and the National Guard Association of the United States.” More information here and here, respectively. SNAP: On Wednesday, the House Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing titled “Past, Present, and Future of SNAP: Examining State Options.” More information here. World Threats: On Wednesday, the House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing titled “World Wide Threats.” More information here. Senate Schedule The Senate will resume legislative business on Monday. Up for consideration this week, S. 524: the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, a bill that would award grants to address the national epidemics of prescription opioid abuse and heroin use. Alabama co-sponsor(s): None. Highlights of what is happening in Senate Committees this week: Homeland Security: On Tuesday, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security will hold a hearing to consider the Transportation Security Administration’s FY 2017 budget request. More Homeland: On Wednesday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing to consider nominations Jobs: On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing titled “The Distortion of EB-5 Targeted Employment Areas: Time to End the Abuse.” More Homeland: On Thursday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing titled “Dogs of DHS: How Canine Programs Contribute to Homeland Security.” Nominations: On Thursday the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to consider nominations and legislation.
