Maggie Hassan: “I rise today to pass into law a lifesaving bipartisan legislation that will enable us to keep fighting the opioid and…”

“I rise today to pass into law a lifesaving bipartisan legislation that will enable us to keep fighting the opioid and fentanyl epidemic, an epidemic that has destroyed families and devastated communities all across our country. Our country faces many challenges, and I am sure we will continue to debate in the coming weeks how to address those, but today we will advance, on a bipartisan basis, lifesaving legislation that we know is working to combat fentanyl. New data from earlier this summer found that drug overdose deaths dropped 27 percent last year, compared to the prior year. Since the advent of the opioid crisis, we now have a much better sense of what works to prevent and treat addiction, the resources we need to do so, and the light that exists on the other end of this terrible tunnel. But we can only get there if we keep up the fight. The SUPPORT Act of 2018, signed into law by President Trump during his first term, established vital addiction treatment infrastructure. Reauthorizing this bipartisan law is essential to our addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts. For example, the act includes funding for addiction treatment for pregnant women and funds for training and equipment to help first responders in this fight. The original SUPPORT Act passed the Senate with 98 votes, and this bipartisan reauthorization passed the House with 366 votes. Now the Senate will send it to the President's desk.”