As the opioid addiction reaches into every corner of the United States, new legislation proposed by U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins (R-WV) on Tuesday would enable the hardest-hit communities to receive the most federal resources to combat the crisis.
Jenkins teamed up with U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH) to introduce the bipartisan Federal Opioid Response Fairness Act to ensure that per capita overdose deaths are part of the federal formula used under the 21st Century Cures Act. The law’s $1 billion funding distribution currently favors the most populous states. Using a per capita overdose death rate would provide a fairer funding standard than state population size, according to the lawmakers.
“The opioid epidemic has touched every community in West Virginia, and federal agencies must prioritize helping the states struggling the most,” Jenkins said. “This legislation will make sure that West Virginia and other states hardest hit by the drug crisis get the resources they need to truly make an impact in combating this epidemic.”
The bill comes after an announcement on Monday from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) which said that State Targeted Response grants would not have their funding formula changed.
Kuster said she was disappointed that HHS and SAMHSA interpreted congressional intent in the Cures Act to assist states hardest hit by the opioid epidemic by focusing just on states with the largest populations.