releases: https://www.donnelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press/donnelly-supported-legislation-signed-into-law-will-help-youngest-victims-of-opioid-addiction
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.donnelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press/donnelly-supported-legislation-signed-into-law-will-help-youngest-victims-of-opioid-addiction | Donnelly-Supported Legislation Signed into Law, Will Help Youngest Victims of Opioid Addiction | 2015-11-25 | 2015 | 2015-11 | Democrat | House | IN | Joe Donnelly | D000607 | www.donnelly.senate.gov | legacy | Donnelly-Supported Legislation Signed into Law, Will Help Youngest Victims of Opioid Addiction Builds on Senators ongoing work to stem tide of devastating prescription opioid abuse and heroin use epidemics Wednesday, November 25, 2015 Granger, Ind. Today, U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly lauded the bipartisan effort that led President Obama to sign the Protecting our Infants Act into law. The legislation will help newborns suffering from opioid withdrawal and painful symptoms associated with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS).Donnelly announced his support for the bill earlier this year. It is the latest positive development in Donnellys ongoing work to combat the opioid abuse and heroin use epidemics. Donnelly said, Too many of our youngest Hoosiers are born dependent on opioids and then suffer from withdrawal. This legislation will help improve treatment for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and reduce the number of babies born addicted to opioids over the long-term. This is a clear example of the positive progress we can make when we work together to address this problem that is sadly devastating families across Indiana. Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, President, March of Dimes, said, No infant should begin life by suffering the pain of drug withdrawal. The Protecting Our Infants Act is a critical first step toward reducing the terrible toll of neonatal abstinence syndrome and brings much-needed attention to the dramatic increase in the number of infants born exposed to opioids and other drugs. We thank the bill sponsors and supporters, including Sen. Joe Donnelly, for their tremendous efforts on behalf of drug-exposed babies. We look forward to working with authorities at the federal, state and local levels to prevent infant drug exposure and treat those affected. ThebipartisanProtecting Our Infants Act, introduced earlier this year by Senate Majority LeaderMitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) will: Direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop recommendations for preventing and treating prenatal opioid abuse and NAS; Direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to lead a review of departmental planning and coordination and prepare a strategy to address research and program gaps. This effort would implement aFebruary 2015 recommendation by the Government Accountability Officethat calls for better planning and coordination at the federal level to address the rise in prenatal opioid abuse and NAS; and Encourage the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to work with states to help them improve their data collection and public health response to NAS. For nearly two years, Donnelly has been working to combat the opioid abuse and heroin use epidemics in Indiana and across the country, by listening to Hoosiers, introducing bipartisan legislation, partnering with federal, state, and local officials, and bringing together stakeholders. He reintroduced the bipartisanHeroin and Prescription Opioid Abuse Prevention, Education, and Enforcement Actwith Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) in April. Their bill would take a multi-pronged approach to help prevent opioid abuse and heroin use. Earlier this year, Senator Donnelly and U.S. Representative Susan Brooks (IN-05) hosted a bipartisan roundtable discussion at IUPUI with Indiana and federal health officials, doctors, and pharmacists to hear directly from Hoosiers about best practices to help curb the opioid-abuse epidemic. Donnelly made recommendations in a letter to the Governors Drug Task Force, providing suggestions for short- and long-term responses to Indianas addiction problems. In addition to offering specific suggestions to the Task Force, Donnelly emphasized that any strategy to address addiction in Indiana will require the State to not only identify necessary policy changes, but also make a commitment to implementing and funding those changes moving forward. Both state and federal officials are acting on some of the bipartisan policies Donnelly has advocated for, including improving prescribing practices and enhancing prescriber engagement, raising public awareness of the dangers of prescription drug abuse and heroin use, and better utilizing prescription drug monitoring programs at the state level. Recently, Donnelly had meetings with U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Tom Frieden to discuss the federal effort to address the opioid epidemic and drug addiction. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |