Bipartisan Bill led by Rouda and Meadows, Improving Office of National Drug Control Policy, Passes Oversight Committee
Washington, D.C. – This morning, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform voted to advance H.R. 3889, the ONDCP Technical Corrections Act of 2019. The bill, led by Reps. Harley Rouda (D-CA) and Mark Meadows (R-NC), makes needed changes to existing legislative language to improve the federal government’s response to the addiction crisis. It is expected to come to the House floor for a vote later this year.
Said Rouda, “This year, Americans will lose close to 70,000 friends and loved ones due to a drug overdose. More Americans are now dying annually due to an overdose than at the height of the AIDS crisis or during the entire Vietnam War.
“No community is unaffected by this crisis. In my home of Orange County, California, drug and alcohol overdose deaths have increased by 82 percent since 2000. I’m grateful to Congressman Meadows and Oversight Committee members from both parties for working with me to help ONDCP fight the addiction crisis and save our constituents’ lives.”
Said Meadows, “Far too many men, women, and families across the country have suffered from the preventable spread of drug abuse. I know for me, the issue is felt right at home, with over 12,000 North Carolinians dying as a result of the epidemic since 1996. This has got to end—and we believe Congress has an opportunity to lead by helping establish standards that address both prevention and treatment. I want to thank my colleague, Harley Rouda, for his leadership on this issue—and I’m grateful we could introduce this bill to begin a process of seriously addressing this crisis that has impacted so many.”
In 2018, Congress passed and President Trump enacted the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, a wide-ranging bipartisan bill aimed at addressing treatment, prevention, recovery, and enforcement.
The SUPPORT Act included provisions to reauthorize and reform the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a component of the Executive Office of the President. ONDCP plays a critical role in overseeing the federal government’s drug control efforts.
However, there were several technical issues in the SUPPORT Act that must be fixed to ensure that ONDCP can properly carry out these provisions as Congress intended and improve the federal government’s response to this crisis. The ONDCP Technical Corrections Act of 2019 will support the integrity of the Performance Measurement System, help ONDCP hire the best people to address the addiction crisis, and improve the effectiveness of grant programs.
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