A bill aimed at preventing opioid addiction, overdoses, and deaths in rural communities is heading to the president’s desk. Yesterday (Tuesday), the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act introduced by Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and John Ossoff of Georgia. Grassley says, “[Tuesday’s] passage of the Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act is a critical step forward in our ongoing effort to curb the opioid crisis. Our bill will help communities in Iowa and across the country prevent and handle any surge in opioid overdoses. I urge President Biden to sign this bipartisan legislation into law quickly to help prevent cases of opioid overdose and addiction.” The bipartisan legislation offers resources to rural communities with high instances of opioid overdoses to fill gaps in prevention, treatment, and recovery programs. Iowa 4th District Representative Randy Feenstra helped lead the legislation in the House. He says, “This important bipartisan bill will help the most vulnerable in our rural communities to recover from addiction and provide our first responders with the support they need to save lives. In 2021 alone, nearly 100,000 Americans died from a drug overdose. That is unacceptable, and I’m encouraged that this legislation will help prevent opioid abuse and overdoses in rural America and nationwide.” The bill’s full text is included with this story on our website.
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https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/2796/text
