The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce completed its markup of 57 bills relating to the opioid crisis last week. The wide-ranging bills authorize more than $1 billion in new funding to address the opioid crisis and include regulatory actions, data and reporting requirements, treatment protocols, treatment centers, grants and loan assistance. The bills also address changes for Medicaid, Medicare and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The new funding, which totals $1,060,500,000, is earmarked for the following:

• $440.5 million for treatment protocols related to infection education related to injections ($220 million), reauthorization of the Poison Control Centers ($155.5 million), hospital protocols ($80 million), and demonstration projects for substance use disorder (SUD) ($5 million).
• $250 million for a loan repayment program for SUD providers.
• $195 million for new grants for public health laboratories and community recovery programs.
• $110 million for the FDA to increase seizure authority for illicit and counterfeit drugs being shipped through the mail.
• $60 million for new treatment centers being established as “Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers.”
• $5 million for reporting purposes.

The bills now move to the full U.S. House of Representatives for action, which is expected sometime this summer.

For more information on the individual bills, visit the Energy and Commerce site on opioid legislation, or contact H.J. Waukau, the Society’s manager of advocacy and regulatory affairs.