Congressman Fred Upton is waiting on the president to sign opioid legislation that passed the Senate this month. Upton tells WSJM News the landmark package out of the House is designed to help fight the growing opioid abuse crisis. The House approved it before going on break.
“We worked on this for the past couple of years now,” Upton said. “I had a couple of bills that were part of the opioid package, always bi-partisan. The House acted with nearly 400 votes earlier this year, the Senate passed it with over 90 votes, and the bill then is going to the president and he’s going to sign it into law.”
The Washington Post calls the opioid plan “one of Congress’s most significant legislative achievements this year.” Upton’s contributions were funding for non-opioid-based painkiller research and the reauthorization of state response grants from the 21st Century Cures Act. Another part of the bill aims to increase access to drug treatment. Upton hopes to attend a ceremonial signing of the legislation soon.
