Press Releases

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) today participated in a House Energy and Commerce Committee markup of 32 bills to address the national opioid crisis, including five bills he introduced or acted on as an original cosponsor. It follows last week’s markup of 25 opioid-related bills by the full Committee. He issued the following statement:

“Today’s markup is the latest step in our work to address the opioid crisis that has devastated families in the Ninth District and across the country. We are looking at the problem from all angles. Taken together, the bills we considered today, including five I authored, make progress in fighting this heartrending epidemic. For our family, friends, and neighbors that grapple with the scourge of opioids, more help is on the way.”

The bills Congressman Griffith introduced are:

• H.R. 5801, the Medicaid PARTNERSHIP Act, to improve integration of Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) data into state Medicaid programs and establish criteria for PDMPs to meet before they count as a qualified PDMP.

• H.R. 5812, the Creating Opportunities that Necessitate New and Enhanced Connections That Improve Opioid Navigation Strategies Act (CONNECTIONS) Act, authored with Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), to improve information-sharing between states about prescription drugs. This bill requires certain federal agencies to coordinate their efforts to improve how state PDMPs gather data and provides federal support, so medical professionals can have the best, most timely information they can get.

The bills Congressman Griffith cosponsored are:

• H.R. 1925, the At-Risk Youth Medicaid Protection Act, authored with Congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), to forbid state Medicaid programs from terminating a juvenile’s medical assistance eligibility because the juvenile is incarcerated. States may suspend coverage during incarceration but must restore it if the juvenile is still eligible.

• H.R. 5806, the 21^st Century Tools for Pain and Addiction Treatments, authored with Congressmen Michael Burgess (R-TX) and Larry Bucshon (R-IN), to direct the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue or update guidance so to encourage non-addictive treatments for pain and addiction.

• H.R. 5811, the Long-Term Opioid Efficacy Act, authored with Congressman Jerry McNerney (D-CA), to allow FDA to require drug manufacturers to conduct studies on how effective opioids are over time and whether the risk of continued use outweighs benefits.

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