Multiple Thune-Authored Provisions Included in Crucial Legislation to Combat Opioid Crisis
“Today this bill is one step closer to the president’s desk, and we are one step closer to providing much-needed assistance to those who need it the most.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and a member of the Senate Finance Committee, today issued the following statement after the Senate overwhelmingly approved the bipartisan Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018, which contains proposals from five Senate committees, including Thune-authored bills that were previously adopted by the Commerce Committee or Finance Committee. The Senate bill must now be reconciled with House-passed legislation before it can be sent to the president for his signature.
“The opioid crisis is a nationwide epidemic that needs to be fought on all fronts, which means Congress has a critical role to play in providing important tools to communities that are facing this issue head-on,” said Thune. “I’m proud of the collective effort that senators from both sides of the aisle have dedicated to finding common ground to expand both treatment and prevention activities. Today this bill is one step closer to the president’s desk, and we are one step closer to providing much-needed assistance to those who need it the most. I hope my colleagues in the House will consider this important piece of legislation without delay.”
Thune-Authored Provisions:
- The Expanding Telehealth Response to Ensure Addiction Treatment (e-TREAT) Act (S. 2901), bipartisan legislation that would increase access to substance use disorder treatment through telehealth technology under Medicare. Thune has long advocated for the use of telehealth as a means to increase access to health care services in rural communities, like those throughout South Dakota (approved by the Finance Committee).
- The Fighting Opioid Abuse in Transportation Act (S. 2848), which would close a safety gap in railroad drug and alcohol testing regulations by expanding testing requirements to both rail mechanical employees and yardmasters. It also addresses a major on-going drug abuse issue by requiring that the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Transportation include fentanyl in the drug-testing panel, subject to findings on available testing (approved by the Commerce Committee).
Thune-Supported Provision, Approved by Thune-Led Commerce Committee:
- The Opioid Addiction Recovery Fraud Prevention Act of 2018 (S. 2842), which is sponsored by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), would clarify and reaffirm the power of the Federal Trade Commission to bring enforcement actions against opioid treatment scams, including deceptive treatment claims and bogus products. It would also protect individuals with opioid use disorder and their families from harmful and misleading addiction treatment programs or products.
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A job well-done for Thune and Rounds.
Sheriff Milstead says he thinks more than 90% of the meth and heroin comes from south of the border. Is strengthening security along the U.S.-Mexico border a topic for Thune and Rounds? Round’s Act touches on it, but no details are provided about how the Response Act will help stop drugs at the border.
Many families have hope Thune and Rounds are working as hard on border security as they did on this current legislation. Imagine how many people would live if the routes available for drug & human traffickers were drastically reduced.
Nicely put Anon 11:26 and to add on that as long as we have Illegal Aliens walking across our Southern border with 50 lb backpacks filled with narcotics destined for cutting labs all across America all the money and manpower in the world won’t stop the Opiod epidemic.
Oops dang I-Pad won’t keep my name up. That was my writing for what it’s worth.
These are all press releases.
eTREAT sounds fine and good. More drug testing won’t help and I don’t think scams are the biggest of our concern regarding opiates. We need free treatment for everyone. We also need regulation against a little company in Connecticut named Purdue. They are the real pusher men.
The government created this problem by pulling propoxyphene off the market in 2010 and expanding Medicaid.