In the News

The House of Representatives began considering a series of bills this week aimed at combatting the opioid epidemic that is ravaging America. The House passed 25 bills today, including two offered by Congressman David B. McKinley, P.E., (WV-1).

“During every meeting we hold in the district, the opioid crisis is the number one concern. We brought our constituents’ feedback with us to Washington, and introduced legislation to address these issues. Our bills will expand access to treatment for overdose survivors while in the emergency room and develop alternatives to opioids for pain management,” said McKinley.

“Overdose rates are skyrocketing. Often, people who survive an overdose end up doing it again because they’re unable to access the necessary treatment. The Preventing Overdoses While in Emergency Rooms Act would ensure these patients receive the treatment they need in the emergency room and are then placed in the care of a substance abuse treatment provider to receive continued care, giving them a better shot at recovery,” McKinley said.

“Developing alternatives to opioids for pain treatment is an issue we’ve been working on for years. We’ve successfully increased funding for the National Institutes of Health, but we must do more to find alternatives in the emergency room, where many patients first come into contact with opioids. The bipartisan Alternatives to Opioids Act will provide much-needed funding to achieve this goal and help reduce our nation’s dependence on these dangerous pills.”

Click here to watch McKinley speak on the POWER Act on the House floor.

Click here to see a full list of the bills passed by the House during the first day of votes.

Background
This week, the House of Representatives began voting on comprehensive legislation aimed at combatting the opioid epidemic. During the first day of votes, two bills offered by McKinley were passed, and now head to the Senate for consideration.

The two bills offered by McKinley are:
• H.R. 5176, the Preventing Overdoses While in Emergency Rooms (POWER) Act. This bill was authored by Rep. McKinley and is cosponsored by Rep. Michael Doyle (D-PA). The bill will provide resources for hospitals to develop protocols on discharging patients who have presented with an opioid overdose. These protocols would address the provision of naloxone upon discharge, connection with peer-support specialists, and the referral to treatment and other services that best fit the patient’s needs.
• H.R. 5197, the Alternatives to Opioids (ALTO) in the Emergency Department Act. This bill was authored by McKinley and Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ). The bill will establish a demonstration program to test alternative pain management protocols to limit to use of opioids in hospital emergency departments, and reduce the over-prescribing of opioids.