WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley today led the Senate delegation in a bicameral conference committee meeting to finalize the conference report for S. 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), legislation that addresses the growing epidemic of opioid addiction gripping the nation.  Today’s meeting follows bipartisan, bicameral negotiations between the Senate conferees, led by Grassley and Senator Lamar Alexander, and the House conferees, led by Representatives Fred Upton and Bob Goodlatte.  The conference report, which was filed in the House of Representatives tonight, blends together CARA, which Grassley led through the Judiciary Committee to overwhelming Senate approval, and related legislation passed in the House of Representatives.

“It’s estimated that 129 people die from drug overdose each day in the United States.  Today’s conference committee action is another important step forward on a path to helping combat the festering addiction crisis in our country.  The conference report takes a comprehensive approach to addressing the crisis, by authorizing funding for prevention, education, treatment, recovery and law enforcement efforts.  It’s the product of a lot of hard work and a demonstrated commitment by members in both political parties.”

“Opioid addiction bills have cleared both chambers of Congress by wide bipartisan margins, and our work to bring them all together in one comprehensive package only strengthens the final product.  So there is absolutely no reason to delay this effort any longer, especially when lives are at stake,” Grassley said.

The bill includes several provisions championed by Grassley to assist rural communities like much of Iowa, including reserved funding to train first responders in rural America to administer live-saving opioid overdose reversal medication.  In addition, the conference report includes Grassley-authored accountability provisions to ensure that waste, fraud, and abuse of federal grant money is rooted out, as well as the Kingpin Designation Improvement Act, legislation introduced in the Senate by Grassley and Senator Amy Klobuchar that strengthens the ability of the federal government to freeze the assets of foreign drug kingpins, who traffic opioids and other illegal narcotics into the United States.  Finally, the report retains language negotiated by Grassley and included in Senate-passed CARA that extends eligibility for new community-based coalition enhancement grants to areas like Iowa that are suffering from local drug crises related to methamphetamine, in addition to opioids.

Grassley supported additional improvements offered by both Republicans and Democrats during the conference committee meeting.

The bill is supported by more than 200 addiction, recovery, and law enforcement advocacy organizations across the country.  These include Iowa-based Partnership for a Drug Free Iowa, Henry County Substance Abuse Coalition, Jones County Safe and Healthy Youth Coalition, and QC Harm Reduction.

The conference report authorizes nearly $900 million over five years for opioid-related treatment, recovery, law enforcement and prevention efforts, a significant increase from the bills that previously passed in both chambers of Congress.  As passed by the Senate 94-1, CARA authorized almost $390 million over five years.  The House of Representatives passed a package of bills 400-5 that authorized almost $660 million over those same five years.

Congress is expected to take up the CARA conference report before it adjourns for recess this month.

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