Grassley, Ossoff Bill Tackling Opioid Epidemic Heads to President's Desk

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill to prevent opioid addiction, overdoses and deaths in rural communities – sending it to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law. The Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act, introduced by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), passed the Senate at the end of last year.

“Today’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,” Grassley said.

“Like so many Georgians, I’ve lost friends to the opioid epidemic. My bipartisan bill with Senator Grassley will fund efforts to prevent and treat addiction and save lives. I am bringing Republicans and Democrats together to address the opioid crisis,” Ossoff said.

The bipartisan legislation will help ensure that rural communities with a high level of opioid overdoses have the resources they need to respond to the crisis. Specifically, it will fill gaps in prevention, treatment and recovery services for individuals in rural areas with funding for local governments and organizations that serve rural communities heavily impacted by opioid addiction and abuse.

The legislation was led in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) and Conor Lamb (D-Pa.).

“I am proud that the Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act – which I introduced with my colleague Conor Lamb – passed the House and will soon be signed into law. This important, bipartisan bill will help the most vulnerable in our rural communities recover from addiction and provide our first responders with the support they need to save lives,” said Feenstra. “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 opioid epidemic has affected every community across the country, including western Pennsylvania,” said Lamb. “This crisis has been especially devastating in rural areas. This commonsense legislation will enable rural communities to implement evidence-based solutions and promising practices that utilize the unique assets of their communities to help combat this issue.”

The bipartisan, bicameral proposal is supported by the National Rural Health Association, the Small & Rural Law Enforcement Executives’ Association, A New PATH (Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing), Faces & Voices of Recovery and the Partnership to End Addiction.

Text of the bill is available HERE.

In October, Grassley convened a Senate Drug Caucus field hearing in Des Moines, where Iowa parents who lost children to fentanyl poisoning testified alongside state and federal drug enforcement officials. Grassley is co-chairman of the Senate Drug Caucus.