WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1462, the Protecting Our Infants Act; Congressman Alex X. Mooney co-sponsored this vital piece of legislation that he helped pass unanimously today. This bill would help newborns suffering from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), a medical condition that is the result of prenatal exposure to opioids in the womb, by streamlining treatment plans across the country. In recent years, incidences of the syndrome have increased throughout the US.
“I am proud to have co-sponsored and to have voted for H.R. 1462, the Protecting Our Infants Act. We must address the impact that this drug epidemic has on the most vulnerable in our society. With approximately 20% of all babies born in West Virginia being exposed to some type of substance abuse, this bill is more imperative than ever,” said Rep. Mooney.
H.R. 1462, the Protecting Our Infants Act requires that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality develop recommendations for preventing and treating prenatal opioid abuse, that Health and Human Services review research relative to NAS and develop a strategy to coordinate efforts to combat NAS throughout the country, and that the Centers for Disease Control assist the states in collecting public health data relative to prenatal opioid abuse and NAS.
Alex X. Mooney represents West Virginia’s second congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a member of the Budget and Natural Resources Committees.
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