releases: https://walden.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/greg-walden-reviews-prevention-and-public-health-solutions-combat-opioid
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://walden.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/greg-walden-reviews-prevention-and-public-health-solutions-combat-opioid | Greg Walden reviews prevention and public health solutions to combat the opioid crisis | 2018-03-21 | 2018 | 2018-03 | Republican | House | OR | Greg Walden | W000791 | walden.house.gov | legacy | Greg Walden reviews prevention and public health solutions to combat the opioid crisis Energy and Commerce Committee finished day one of two-day legislative hearing Click here or on the image above to view Waldens remarks WASHINGTON, D.C. --Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, today held part one of a two-day hearing examining 25 bipartisan prevention and public health solutions to help combat the opioid crisis. The unprecedented plague of opioid addiction and substance use disorder in our country requires an unprecedented response, said Walden. This epidemic knows no geographic, political, or socio-economic bounds. Ive held roundtables in my district in Oregon, in places like Hermiston, Grants Pass, and Medford -- when you talk to providers, addicts, and their families, you can feel the sting of this crisis in the community. Walden heard from two panels of witnesses today -- one composed of federal officials and a second panel tailored to bills under the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) jurisdiction and other research, development, and prevention initiatives. Among the 25 bills, Waldens Committee focused on the following bills today: NOTE: Some bills have not received formal titles and instead are denoted by working descriptions. H.R. 4284, Indexing Narcotics, Fentanyl, and Opioids (INFO) Act (AINS), authored by Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), will direct HHS to create a public and easily accessible electronic dashboard linking to all of the nationwide efforts and strategies to combat the opioid crisis, and provide states and localities a centralized access point on available funding resources. H.R. 5002, the Advancing Cutting Edge (ACE) Research Act, authored by Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Fred Upton (R-MI), will provide the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with new, flexible authorities to conduct innovative research and spur urgently needed research on new non-addictive pain medications. H.R. __, FDA Accelerated Approval & Breakthrough Therapy Status, will take steps to make FDA pathways like the accelerated approval program available to take on the opioid crisis, leading to quicker access to novel, new treatments to treat pain and addiction. H.R. __, FDA Accelerated Approval & Breakthrough Therapy Status, will take steps to make FDA pathways like the accelerated approval program available to take on the opioid crisis, leading to quicker access to novel, new treatments to treat pain and addiction. H.R. __, FDA Packaging and Disposal, authored by Reps. Richard Hudson (R-NC) and G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), will direct FDA to work with manufacturers to establish programs for efficient return or destruction of unused Schedule II drugs, with an emphasis on opioids. These methods could include mail-back pouches to secure facilities for incineration, or methods to immediately inactivate/render unattractive unused drugs. In addition, this bill will facilitate utilization of packaging that may reduce overprescribing of opioids. Finally, this bill will require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study new and innovative technologies that claim to be able to safely dispose of opioids and other unused medications. GAO would review and detail the effectiveness of these disposal methods. H.R. __, FDA and International Mail, authored by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), will streamline and enhance tools the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has available to effectively intercept illegal products. In doing so, this bill will create efficiencies for government resources and better protect American citizens from dangerous imported substances. H.R. __, FDA Opioid Sparing, authored by Reps. Barbara Comstock (R-VA) and Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), will direct FDA to articulate clear data collection methods that could be used to inform opioid-sparing labeling claims for products that may replace, delay, or reduce or the use of opioid analgesics. H.R. __, FDA Long-term Efficacy, authored by Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) and Morgan Griffith (R-VA), will enhance FDAs authorities and enforcement tools to ensure timely post-marketing studies for chronically administered opioids. H.R. __, FDA Misuse/Abuse, authored by Rep. Gene Green (D-TX), will clarify FDAs authority to consider misuse and abuse as part of the drug approval and assessment process for opioids. It would also augment FDAs capacity to take necessary action to minimize the public health consequences of opioid misuse and abuse. H.R. 449, the Synthetic Drug Awareness Act, authored by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), will require the U.S. Surgeon General to submit a comprehensive report to Congress on the public health effects of the rise in synthetic drug use among youth aged 12 to 18 in order to further educate parents and the medical community on the health effects of synthetics. H.R. __, the Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act of 2018, authored by Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY), will establish Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers (CORCs) that will serve as models for comprehensive treatment and recovery. CORCs would utilize the full range of FDA-approved medications and evidence-based treatments, have strong linkages with the community, generate meaningful outcomes data, and dramatically improve the opportunities for individuals to establish and maintain long-term recovery as productive members of society. H.R. 5261, the Treatment, Education, And Community Help (TEACH) to Combat Addiction Act, authored by Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH), will support Centers of Excellence, or institutions of learning that have championed SUD treatment and pain management education to improve how health professionals are taught about both SUD and pain. Discussion Draft, PDMPs, authored by Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA), will improve current federal support for Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) to enhance surveillance, data collection, and integration into physician clinical workflow so that timely, complete and accurate information will get into the hands of providers and dispensers, allowing them to make the best clinical decisions for their patients. H.R. 5272, the Reinforcing Evidence-Based Standards Under Law in Treating Substance Abuse (RESULTS) Act, authored by Reps. Steve Stivers (R-OH) and Eliot Engel (D-NY), will require entities applying for funding that would be used for programs or activities that address mental health or SUD, to submit materials to HHS demonstrating that the programs or activities are evidence-based. H.R. 3545, the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act (AINS), authored by Reps. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), will permit SUD records to be shared in accordance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and for the purposes of treatment. The bill would also increase the penalties in the event of disclosure, add breach notification requirements, and provide discrimination prohibitions to protect people seeking and receiving SUD treatment. Stay tuned for a full recap of bills reviewed by the Energy and Commerce Committee following the conclusion of Thursdays part two of this hearing. For more information on todays hearing, including a background memo, witness testimony, and archived webcast, click here. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |