WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today voted in support of the Opioid Crisis Response Act, comprehensive legislation to strengthen the fight against the opioid epidemic through a wide range of efforts. The Senate passed the bipartisan bill—which includes numerous provisions based on legislation Senator Capito introduced or co-sponsored—by a vote of 99 to 1. Senator Capito issued the following statement after the vote:
 
“West Virginia has had to deal with the devastating consequences of the opioid epidemic longer and more directly than nearly any other state in the country. That’s given us a unique perspective when it comes to the causes and challenges related to this crisis, as well as what it’s going to take to fight and someday end it.
 
“I’m proud of the role I played in helping to craft this comprehensive legislation and the provisions I helped secure to improve treatment, recovery, enforcement, and prevention efforts in West Virginia and across the country. Many of the lessons we’ve learned in our state—both in terms of what’s working and what still needs to be done—are reflected in this bill. I’m especially proud of the measures we included to address the epidemic’s ‘ripple effects’ and help the children, families, and communities who are living with the unintended consequences of drug addiction.
 
“This isn’t a silver bullet, but it is an important part of a much broader solution. I will continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get this legislation to the president’s desk and to take additional action that will help us make even more progress in fighting the opioid epidemic.”
 
The Opioid Crisis Response Act is made up by more than 70 proposals from 72 senators, including the following measures Senator Capito introduced or led as a co-sponsor:
  

  • A change to the 21st Century Cures Act State Targeted Response Grants formula that focuses federal funds on states like West Virginia that have been hit hardest by the opioid crisis.

 

  • The Opioid Addiction Recovery Fraud Prevention Act, which will hold fraudulent substance abuse treatment programs and recovery centers accountable by empowering the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general to bring enforcement actions to combat such scams.

 

  • Language establishing Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers (CORCs), a new grant program to provide the full continuum of treatment for patients in areas hardest hit by the opioid crisis.

 

  • Resources for communities to start or expand programs for coordination of care and treatment after an overdose, such as the successful Quick Response Teams (QRTs) that have had such success in Huntington, West Virginia, and are now expanding throughout the state.

 

  • The Synthetics Trafficking & Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act, which will help prevent the shipment of synthetic opioids like fentanyl into the United States through the international mail system by imposing tough new requirements on the U.S. Postal Service and Customs and Border Protection.

 

  • New resources to identify, prevent, and mitigate the effects of trauma related to the opioid epidemic among infants, children, and their families.  Includes the creation of a task force to identify and disseminate trauma-informed best practices within federal grant programs; a grant program to link educational agencies with mental health systems to increase student access to evidence-based trauma support services; additional funding for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network; and the expansion of programs to increase the mental health workforce for this population.

 

  • The Caring Recovery for Infants and Babies (CRIB) Act, which clarifies states’ ability under Medicaid to provide care for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome in residential pediatric recovery centers like Lily’s Place in Huntington, West Virginia. It also reauthorizes the Residential l Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women grant program Senator Capito worked to include in CARA and includes grants to help states implement plans of safe care for substance-exposed infants included in CARA.

 

  • The Using Data to Prevent Opioid Diversion Act, which will provide drug manufacturers and distributors with data to identify pharmacies that are suspiciously ordering prescription opioids and provide law enforcement the authority to hold them accountable if they fail to use this data to identify, report, and stop suspicious orders of prescription opioids.

 

# # #