{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://larsen.house.gov/press-release/larsen-wins-major-victory-washington-communities-fight-against-opioid-epidemic", "Larsen Wins Major Victory for Washington Communities in Fight Against Opioid Epidemic", "2016-12-01", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "WA", "Rick Larsen", "L000560", "larsen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014After urging from Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02), the House has voted 392-26\u00a0to approve $1 billion to combat the nation\u2019s opioid epidemic as part of the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act.\nLarsen last week pressed leaders in the House and the Senate to fund the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, a bill that enacted \u2013 but did not fund \u2013 \u00a0sweeping reforms Larsen called for\u00a0including expanded access to lifesaving overdose reversal drugs and improved pain management and prescription practices. With today\u2019s vote, the House has fulfilled Larsen\u2019s request.\n\u201cWashingtonians told me loud and clear about the urgent need for additional resources to take on the opioid epidemic,\u201d said Larsen. \u201cI heard them, and with the help of their ideas, feedback and stories today our country is taking a huge step forward to put communities in Washington state and across the country on the road to recovery.\u201d\nThe legislation also includes bipartisan reforms for mental health treatment and Medicare \u2013 including Larsen\u2019s Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2016 which aims to fund additional psychiatric hospital beds, give family members a greater role in working with mental health professionals, and provide law enforcement officers with training to recognize the signs of mental illness.\nBelow is a list of funding included in the bill:\n $1 billion over two years to combat the opioid epidemic, with preference given to states with an incidence or prevalence of opioid use disorders that is substantially higher relative to other states;\n\t$1.4 billion for President Obama\u2019s Precision Medicine Initiative;\n\t$1.8 billion, including $1 billion over the next three years, to support Vice President Biden's Cancer Moonshot, and;\n\t\u00a0$1.5 billion for President Obama\u2019s BRAIN initiative, which aims to fund research to treat, cure, and prevent brain disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury.\n In August, Larsen conducted an expansive tour of Washington\u2019s 2nd Congressional District where he held a series of events with law enforcement, health officials, advocates, community leaders, and elected officials to discuss new tools made available by the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act and to hear directly from stakeholders as to what additional support is needed to address the opioid epidemic.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://larsen.house.gov/press-release/larsen-wins-major-victory-washington-communities-fight-against-opioid-epidemic"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9159757755696774, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}