Latta votes for federal opioid/heroin bills

VW independent/submitted information

WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, U.S. Representative Bob Latta (R-Ohio), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, joined his colleagues in approving 12 bills addressing the nation’s opioid and drug abuse epidemic.

“All across America, individuals are becoming addicted to opioids and it’s not just destroying the addict, but their families and communities as well,” said Latta. “In 2014 in Ohio, 2,531 lives were lost due to unintentional drug overdoses.

“Ohio has one of the nation’s most comprehensive approaches to tackling this crisis; however, the issue persists and more needs to be done,” Latta added. “That is why I am encouraged by the committee’s actions to recognize and combat this epidemic as a public health issue and address it at a federal level.”

Latta voted in support of the following bipartisan bills, which were all reported out of committee and are expected to come to the House floor early next month:

H.R. 1818, Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act of 2015 – This bill would create a demonstration program to help streamline the licensure requirements for veterans who have already completed military emergency medical technician training to more easily meet civilian emergency medical technician licensure requirements.

H.R. 3250, DXM Abuse Prevention Act of 2015 – This bill would ban the sale of a drug containing dextromethorphan (DXM) to an individual under age 18 unless the individual has a prescription or is actively enrolled in the military.

H.R. 3680, Co-Prescribing to Reduce Overdoses Act of 2015 – This bill would establish a grant program for co-prescribing of opioid reversal drugs for patients who are at a high risk of overdose and support the creation of opioid overdose reversal co-prescribing guidelines.

H.R. 3691, Improving Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women Act – This bill would reauthorize residential treatment programs for pregnant and postpartum women and establish a pilot grant program for State substance abuse agencies to support family based services with a primary diagnosis of a substance use disorder, which would include opioid addiction.

H.R. 4586, Lali’s Law – This bill would authorize grants to States for developing standing orders for naloxone prescriptions and educating health care professionals regarding the dispensing of opioid overdose reversal medication without person-specific prescriptions.

H.R. 4599, Reducing Unused Medications Act of 2016 – This bill would amend the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to clarify when a prescription for a drug listed on Schedule II of the CSA may be partially filled.

H.R. 4641 – This bill would authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to convene a task force to review, revise if appropriate, and disseminate best practices for chronic and acute pain management. The task force would be comprised of Federal agencies, outside experts, and patients.

H.R. 4969, James Thomas Decker Act – This bill would direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study what information and resources are available to youth athletes and their families regarding the dangers of opioid use and abuse, non-opioid treatment options, and how to seek addiction treatment. The CDC is then to publicly report its findings and work with stakeholders to disseminate resources to students, parents, and those involved in treating a sports related injury.

H.R. 4976, Opioid Review Modernization Act of 2016 – This bill would require the Food and Drug Administration to work closely with expert advisory committees before making critical product approval and labeling decisions, and to make recommendations regarding education programs for prescribers of extended-release and long-acting opioids. Further, it would encourage the development and approval of opioids with abuse-deterrent properties.

H.R. 4978, Nurturing and Supporting Healthy Babies Act – This bill would require the Comptroller General of the United States to issue a report on the prevalence of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) among children covered by Medicaid, NAS treatment services covered by Medicaid and the costs associated with that treatment, the setting in which Medicaid covered treatment for infants with NAS are provided, and any Federal barriers for treating infants with NAS.

H.R. 4981, Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Expansion and Modernization Act – This bill would expand access to medication-assisted treatment, while ensuring that patients receive the full array of quality evidence-based services and minimizing the potential for drug diversion.

H.R. 4982, Examining Opioid Treatment Infrastructure Act of 2016 – This bill would require the Comptroller General of the United States to issue a report to Congress on substance abuse treatment availability and infrastructure needs throughout the United States. The report will include an evaluation of various substance abuse treatment settings including inpatient, outpatient, and detoxification programs.