Safe Disposal of Opioids Act of 2021 (H.R. 5086):
Congressman Mooney partnered with Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) in introducing the Safe Disposal of Opioids Act of 2021 (H.R. 5086). This bill would help prevent drug abuse by creating and maintaining 10,000 prescription drug disposal bins across the country. Disposal bins would be placed in pharmacies and health clinics where patients pick up prescriptions.
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome:
- Congressman Mooney cosponsored The Protecting Our Infants Act, a bill that helps babies suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome, a painful condition from being exposed to drugs in utero. This bill passed the House and Senate and was signed into law by the President.
In the District:
Congressman Mooney is passionate about getting ideas for how to stop the drug abuse epidemic from people in district.
- He has held two community round tables on this issue, where he heard from law enforcement officers, doctors, community leaders, and people in recovery.
- He also accompanied two Charleston police officers on a “ride along,” where he observed how law enforcement works every day to stop drug traffickers in our state.
Other Bills (Bill Numbers from the 116th Congress):
- • H.R. 2922 – Respond Now Act and H.R. 2466 – State Opioid Response Grant Authorization. These bills will provide critical resources for states to provide medication-focused treatments, help children impacted by the crisis, educate people on the dangers of drug abuse, and train new medical professionals to respond to opioids.
- • H. Con 8 – Training Doctors for Better Opioid Prescribing Practices.• H.R. 5172 – the NOPAIN Act. This legislation would make it easier for Medicare patients to obtain safer, non-opioid alternatives to treat their pain following surgery.
- • H.R. 4810 – the Opioid Prescription Verification Act. This bill requires pharmacists to check the photo identification of anyone who picks up a prescription to ensure addictive medications are dispensed responsibly and safely.
- • H.R. 4817 – the VA Directly Returning Opioid Prescriptions (DROP) Act. This bill would create a safe place to dispose of unwanted opioids to VA health facilities
- .• H.R. 3974 – Prescription Drug Monitoring Act of 2019. This bill would require registered healthcare professionals to consult with the prescription drug monitoring program from their state before prescribing controlled substances (like opioids) to prevent abuse.
Funding to Combat the Drug Epidemic.
- Voted for the appropriations package, H.R. 1865, on December 17, 2019, which included crucial funding to combat the opioid crisis. This included:
- $5.7 billion for substance abuse disorder prevention, treatment, recovery and non-opioid pain management.
- Increases funding for the FDA by $91 million. A portion of this funding will be used to combat the opioid crisis.
- Rep. Mooney submitted a funding request to the House Appropriations Committee to combat the opioid epidemic by supporting the Drug Free Communities Program.
For more information concerning work and views related to the Drug Epidemic, please contact our office.