The U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 6 passed the Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA).
The legislation, which would establish a pilot program at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to assist rural communities in developing local programs to reduce opioid abuse and overdoses, now heads to the president’s desk for signature.
“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 Rep. 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.”
Once signed into law, the Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act would codify a DOJ program entitled the Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic Initiative, which will provide grant funding under the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant to rural communities, particularly high-risk communities. The funding would then be used to help combat opioid overdoses and abuse as well as provide alternatives to incarceration.
Specifically, the program would support 21 sites in rural communities in undertaking a six-month planning phase, during which each site would identify current gaps in prevention, treatment, and recovery services for individuals with the criminal justice system. The sites would then undertake an 18-month implementation phase, during which each site would take on new efforts to address the opioid crisis in that community.
Applicants eligible for the program include local governments and non-profit and for-profit organizations with a documented history of providing services to rural communities or regions highly impacted by substance use disorder, according to information from Rep. Feenstra’s office.
The House legislation, H.R. 2985, was introduced by Rep. Feenstra and U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA) in May 2021. U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced companion legislation, S. 2796, in the Senate in Sept. 2021. It unanimously passed the Senate in Dec. 2021 and last week passed the House in a vote of 408-11.