House Judiciary Committee Approves Bills to Combat Opioid Epidemic

Washington, D.C.  – The House Judiciary Committee today approved several bills to combat the opioid epidemic facing the United States by providing tools to investigate criminal activity and prevent and treat addiction. Today’s markup follows last week’s Committee approval of two bills to curtail international drug trafficking into the United States and protect classified information pertaining to drug kingpins. The Committee first approved by voice vote the bipartisan Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act (H.R. 5046) to combat the opioid epidemic by establishing a streamlined, comprehensive opioid abuse grant program that encompasses a variety of new and existing programs, such as vital training and resources for first responders and law enforcement, criminal investigations for the unlawful distribution of opioids, drug courts, and residential substance abuse treatment. The bill authorizes $103 million annually for the grant program and is fully offset for cut-go purposes. Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), chief sponsor of the bill, said the following on today’s Committee vote: “For more than a decade, the rapid incline of heroin and opioid addiction has wreaked havoc on individuals, families, and communities in every part of our nation. It has increased crime and placed a heavy financial burden on American taxpayers. The Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act is a common sense, bipartisan approach that addresses this issue head on and will make a positive impact on our fight against addiction.” Second, the Committee approved by voice vote the bipartisan Opioid Program Evaluation (OPEN) Act (H.R. 5052), sponsored by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), to increase the transparency and accountability of the comprehensive opioid abuse grant program. Specifically, it requires grantees to report on the use of grant funds and requires a publicly available analysis of whether or not the grants have achieved their intended purposes. Leader McCarthy praised today’s Committee vote: “The House is taking action to address and resolve America’s opioid epidemic. Our goal is simple: we want to build on current legislative efforts to prevent addiction and treat those suffering. To focus on achieving these outcomes I introduced the Opioid Program Evaluation(OPEN) Act. “Helping solve this epidemic requires a holistic approach that starts with identifying goals and the metrics used to determine success. The OPEN Act will require the Attorney General and the Health and Human Services Secretary to collect and publicly share information about the effectiveness of opioid-related programs. By increasing access to this data, healthcare officials, researchers, and engaged citizens will have an opportunity to strengthen treatment and prevention programs. There is no quick cure to this problem, but we can and must do more to stop the tide of this epidemic so the American people can live freer and happier lives. To do so, our solutions need to be anchored by data and proven results. I want to thank Chairman Goodlatte for considering this important legislation and his continued leadership on addressing this crisis.” Third, the Committee approved the Good Samaritan Assessment Act of 2016 (H.R. 5048) by voice vote that would require the Government Accountability Office to study state and local Good Samaritan laws that protect caregivers, law enforcement personnel, and first responders who administer opioid overdose reversal drugs or devices from criminal liability, as well as those who contact emergency service providers in response to an overdose. Representative Frank Guinta (R-N.H.), author of H.R 5048, said the following on today’s vote: “Across the country, heroin and opioid abuse are growing at rapid rates, especially in New Hampshire. In schools, kids are learning to administer anti-overdose medication. That’s how bad the problem is: Police and firefighters, even family and friends, must carry medication like Narcan and know how to use it at a moment’s notice. We must protect them from liability laws that could interfere with emergency treatment. I’m grateful to the Judiciary Committee for helping to remove legal barriers. As co-founder of the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic, I’m working with its members to develop immediate solutions to this nationwide crisis.” And fourth, the Committee approved by voice vote the Clarifying Amendment to Provide Terrorism Victims Equity (CAPTIVE) Act (H.R. 3394). This bill, authored by Representative Bill Posey (R-Fla.), allows the blocked assets of foreign terrorist drug dealers to be used to compensate victims of terrorist attacks that they perpetrated. Representative Posey stated the following on today’s approval of the CAPTIVE Act: “The CAPTIVE Act is an important step forward in providing justice to American victims of terrorism. More and more, terrorist groups like ISIS, the FARC, Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram are financed by revenue from the global drug trade. This common sense bill would allow the funds seized from terrorists’ drug operations to be used to satisfy the Judgments won by their American victims. I would like to thank Chairman Goodlatte and all our cosponsors for their support of this effort and I am hopeful this important bill can move quickly through the legislative process.” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) praised passage of today’s bills that combat the opioid epidemic: “The United States today faces an unrelenting opioid epidemic that claims thousands of lives each year. No community is immune from this epidemic; it affects all communities across the United States – urban, suburban, and rural. The bills approved by the House Judiciary Committee today will help prevent and treat opioid addiction and also ensure that taxpayer dollars are used wisely and efficiently. I thank the many members who have worked on legislation to address this national crisis, including Crime Subcommittee Chairman Sensenbrenner, Majority Leader McCarthy, and Representatives Guinta and Posey. I look forward to these bills being on the floor soon so that these much needed tools will be quickly deployed to help combat this problem.” ###