Senate Moves To Iron Out Differences With House Over Opioid Bill
The chambers will set up a conference committee to reconcile the differences in their legislation. Meanwhile, media outlets report on news about the opioid crisis in Ohio, Kentucky and New Hampshire.
The Hill:
Senate Takes Step Forward On Opioid Bill
The Senate on Thursday took a step toward bridging the gap with the House on legislation intended to combat the opioid epidemic. The upper chamber voted 95-1 to set up a conference committee with the House that will seek to iron out the differences between the chambers’ bills. Only Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) voted no. (Sullivan, 6/16)
Cincinnati Enquirer:
Ohio, KY Could Get Up To $63 Million For Heroin, Opioid Treatment
Ohio and Kentucky stand to get an estimated $63 million in federal money for heroin and opioid addiction treatment if President Barack Obama gets his way. Both states rank in the top five in the nation for drug poisoning deaths per 100,000 population. ( DeMio, 6/16)
Concord Monitor:
Legislature Approves $1.5 Million Drug Enforcement Bill
The Republican-led Legislature came back to Concord and revived a bill Thursday that sends $1.5 million to drug enforcement initiatives, despite objections that arrests can’t solve the state’s opioid crisis. (Morris, 6/17)
New Hampshire Public Radio:
As NH Scales Up Its Battle Against Drugs, Will History Repeat Itself?
When politicians talk about drug abuse, ‘tough on crime’ is a phrase that seems to be going out of style as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agree that the War on Drugs didn’t solve the problem. (Haverty, 6/17)