(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act.  Representative Conor Lamb (PA-17) introduced the House version of this bipartisan bill with Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04) to reduce opioid overdose deaths in high-risk rural communities.  The Senate version, sponsored by Senators Jon Ossoff (GA) and Chuck Grassley (IA), passed the U.S. Senate on December 8, 2021.  Following House passage today, the legislation now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

The Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act (S. 2796) authorizes a pilot program at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for rural areas to implement community response programs that focus on both reducing opioid overdose deaths and providing alternatives to incarceration.

“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.”

“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.”

“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. We are bringing Republicans and Democrats together to address the opioid crisis,” said Ossoff.

“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,” said Grassley.

The Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act provides resources to help rural communities combat opioid overdoses with the following provisions:

The legislation codifies a DOJ program, the Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic Initiative, which provides grants to rural communities help them combat opioid overdoses. The goal of the program is to reduce opioid overdose deaths in high-risk rural communities and provide alternatives to incarceration;

This program is currently funded by DOJ’s Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP), an umbrella program that funds a range of opioid abuse programs;

The Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic Program currently supports 21 sites in rural communities, helping them to: (1) undertake a six-month planning phase, during which the site will identify current gaps in prevention, treatment, and recovery services for individuals who interact with the criminal justice system within the target rural service area, and (2) undertake an 18-month implementation phase, during which the site will take on new efforts to address the opioid crisis in that community; and

Applicants eligible to participate in the program include (1) local governments, and (2) non-profit and for-profit organizations with a documented history of providing services to rural communities or regions highly impacted by substance use disorder.

The Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act (S. 2796) is supported by the National Rural Health Association, Small & Rural Law Enforcement Executives’ Association, A New PATH (Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing), Faces & Voices of Recovery, and the Partnership to End Addiction.