Dakota Times

WASHINGTON, DC – On June 21, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a legislative hearing on U.S. Representative Angie Craig’s bipartisan bill to expand access to overdose prevention resources.

The RECONNECTS Act of 2023 will direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to expand their overdose prevention efforts – like bolstering prescription drug monitoring programs, promoting and evaluating community and health system interventions and conducting research on controlled substance overdoses.

The bill also updates the definition of “new and emerging public health crises” to include the fentanyl crisis.

“The opioid crisis is a public health emergency that demands a comprehensive public health response. The first step is ensuring that every community can access the overdose prevention tools needed to combat this crisis in an informed and effective way. I’ll be working closely with Rep. Griffith to pass this bipartisan bill so every Minnesota doctor, law enforcement officer, family and community can access these life-saving resources,” said Rep. Craig.

Rep. Craig has been a leader in the fight to combat the opioid crisis, expand resources for law enforcement and improve addiction support in Congress.

Earlier this year, she successfully urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to fully approve the over-the-counter distribution of Narcan, a medicine used to reverse overdoses.

Additionally, Rep. Craig is a cosponsor of the HALT Fentanyl Act, would permanently schedule fentanyl-related substances in Schedule I – giving law enforcement access to the increased resources and support needed to more effectively combat the fentanyl crisis.

Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA-09) is the lead Republican sponsor of the RECONNECTS Act.

Text of the RECONNECTS Act of 2023 can be found here

Original source can be found here.