FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Hannah Muldavin, Hannah.Muldavin@mail.house.gov

Democratic Leaders Announce House to Vote Next Week on Landmark Prescription Drug Bill that Includes Legislation Authored by Trone to Combat the Opioid Epidemic

Washington, DC – Today, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders announced that the House will vote next week to pass H.R. 3, the Elijah Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, a landmark bill to lower the price of prescription drugs. The leaders also announced that H.R. 3 will include legislation authored by Congressman Davide Trone to provide $10 billion in federal funding to combat the opioid epidemic.

The new $10 billion investment includes $7.5 billion for State Opioid Response (SOR) Grants, which provide funding directly to states, counties, cities, and towns to reduce overdose related deaths through prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts. In May, Trone introduced a bipartisan bill to provide funding for SOR grants for five years.

The funding also includes a Trone-led provision that would release $200 million in grant funding to expand evidence-based trauma support services in schools. Rep. Trone authored  a letter signed by 17 Members of Congress requesting this funding because of the nearly 35 million American youth that experience at least one traumatic event by the age of 16.

“I asked those fighting the opioid epidemic in my district what they needed to stop the 192 overdose deaths that happen every day, and they said assured and consistent funding,” said Rep. David Trone, founder of the Freshmen Working Group on Addiction. “This $10 billion in funding will allow groups that are on the front lines of the epidemic to plan for a future where they know they will have federal support to end this crisis. This is the biggest public health crisis in America today, and I couldn’t be more thrilled that this funding is included in this important bill.”

To read more about the H.R. 3, the Elijah Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, click here.

Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland. In Congress, he founded the Freshmen Working Group on Addiction, a bipartisan group of 64 freshmen lawmakers dedicated to ending the addiction epidemic in the country. Thus far, the group has visited Johns Hopkins Medical facilities to see the latest research on addiction, introduced legislation to combat the spread of the epidemic, and promoted practices and policies to tackle the crisis from every angle. In June, Trone wrote about the progress the group has made within Congress, acknowledging the long way we still have to go to stop the spread of addiction.

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