The United States Senate passed U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff’s bipartisan bill to prevent opioid addiction, overdoses, and deaths in rural communities Wednesday night.
The bill is Sen. Ossoff’s second standalone bipartisan bill to pass the U.S. Senate this year.
The Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act, which Sen. Ossoff (D-Georgia) introduced with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) in September, will help ensure that rural communities with a high level of opioid overdoses have the resources they need to respond to the crisis.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 75,000 people died of opioid overdoses between April 2020 and April 2021.
“With [Wednesday’s] passage of my bipartisan bill to reduce opioid addiction, overdoses, and deaths, the Senate proved Democrats and Republicans can still work together to get things done. I thank my Republican colleague Senator Grassley of Iowa for working with me to pass this bill,” Sen. Ossoff said.
The Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act will fill gaps in prevention, treatment, and recovery services for individuals in rural areas with funding for local governments and organizations that serve rural communities heavily impacted by opioid addiction and abuse.
The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives.
