WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed bipartisan legislation that would expand prevention, treatment and education about drug abuse involving heroin and prescription painkillers. Only problem is: There’s no funding for it.
The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 passed with a near-unanimous 94-1 vote, a rarity in a contentious election year when both parties are reluctant to work cooperatively.
But the legislation, sponsored by Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, provides no new money to fund its ambitious goals after Republican lawmakers killed a Democratic plan last week to provide $600 million in funding for the measure.
The bill now goes to President Barack Obama for consideration. But in a statement earlier this month, the White House said that without funding, the bill would “do little to address” the heroin and opioid epidemic.
“Moreover, rather than accelerate important policies like training health care providers about appropriate opioid prescribing, the bill includes an unnecessary feasibility study on the issue that would delay action,” the White House statement said. It’s unclear whether Obama will sign the measure into law.
Obama’s proposed 2017 budget seeks $1.1 billion in new federal money to combat the worrying rates of abuse of heroin and prescription painkillers in the United States.
The fight against growing heroin and prescription drug abuse has support from both political parties.
The CARA Act would expand the availability of naloxone, which is used by first responders to revive heroin and opioid overdose victims. It also would improve state efforts to monitor and track the sale and illegal diversion of prescription drugs, and steers money toward treating jailed addicts instead of just punishing them.
The bill also would prohibit the Department of Education from asking about convictions for possession or sale of illegal drugs on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.