President Trump Signs Opioid Legislation, NACo Webinar Recording Available

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed H.R. 6, titled “SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act”, a comprehensive legislative package to assist in addressing the nation’s opioid epidemic. Earlier this fall, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed their own opioid-related legislative proposals; the two chambers then reached an agreement on the legislation after two weeks of conference committee negotiations to reconcile differences earlier this month.

Key provisions of the expansive measure include an expansion of the grant program used to purchase naloxone; authorization for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to combat the opioid epidemic through expanded data collection and grants for states, localities, and tribes; creation of a CDC grant program to prevent and respond to various opioid-related infections, including hepatitis and HIV; and provisions that allow providers to provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for up to 275 patients at any one time.

The National Association of Counties (NACo) recently held a webinar to detail key provisions of H.R. 6 and opportunities for localities. The webinar featured discussion on how the law could support local efforts to combat opioid misuse and addiction in communities and preview potential next steps for opioid legislation and action in Congress and the federal administration. A recording of the webinar is available here.