Senator Murkowski secures key legislative wins in fight against opioids and fentanyl

Senator Lisa Murkowski secured several key provisions in legislation crafted to combat the opioid crisis in America. During Tuesday’s Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing, Senator Murkowski supported the inclusion of several critical pieces of legislation in the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities, otherwise known as the SUPPORT Act.

The House passed the bill reauthorizing the opioid treatment and prevention programs created under the SUPPORT Act just hours after the Senate health committee passed its own version along with six amendments. The SUPPORT Act passed through committee on a 19-1 vote.

“Alaska has been one of the hardest hit states in the opioid crisis, with devastating impact on lives affecting every community, culture, gender, and age,” said Senator Murkowski. “The SUPPORT Act includes a variety of tools that will assist in the fight against the opioid epidemic, including bolstering the substance use and peer specialists workforces, integrating resources within schools to meet youth where they are, and educational resources on the dangers of fentanyl and risks of opioid addiction. To make progress in combatting the opioid epidemic, we’re going to need all hands on deck, and the SUPPORT Act will be a major asset in this fight.”

In 2018, Congress passed the SUPPORT Act, authorizing funding for community-based treatment and recovery programs. That year, America saw a then record ~70,000 deaths from overdose, which has ballooned to nearly 110,000 this year.

In response to this rise of fentanyl overdoses and deaths, Congress is looking to reauthorize the SUPPORT Act with new tools that will help organizations in multiple different fields address this crisis.

Among the provisions the Senator fought to make sure were included in the SUPPORT Act are the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment plan, which could help offset one of the largest challenges the health care sector faces are workforce shortages.

“Many Alaskans have shared the challenges they have had finding a provider in state. Reauthorizing the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program helps to address this issue by providing loan repayment assistance to individuals who want to work in substance use disorder treatment in areas that have workforce shortages.”

Another provision included is the Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Act, which will work to improve data collection and analysis on ACEs and authorizes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to award grants to public health entities to provide critical investments in primary prevention of negative behavioral health outcomes; Peer-to-Peer Mental Health Support Act, which will provide necessary investments for school districts to incorporate peer-to-peer mental health support programs for middle and high school students.

And the legislation also includes Bruce’s Law. Bruce’s Law was introduced after the passing of Bruce Snodgrass, who died of an overdose. Fentanyl contamination and poisonings have plagued the United States, including Alaska.

“More education and awareness campaigns on the harms of addiction and the danger of fentanyl are desperately needed.”

The provisions included in SUPPORT would direct HHS to conduct these campaigns and create an interagency work group to improve federal efforts to reduce and prevent overdoses involving fentanyl-contaminated drugs.

While the SUPPORT Act has made it through the House and Senate committee, it remains unclear if it will make it to the finish line before the year’s end as the two chambers must still reconcile their respective bills’ differences.