Congress

Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill Tackling Opioid Crisis

The Opioid Crisis Response Act includes provisions from over 70 U.S. senators.

Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill Tackling Opioid Crisis
Getty Images
SMS

On Monday, the U.S. Senate voted 99-1 to pass a bipartisan bill aimed at curbing the nation's opioid crisis. 

The Opioid Crisis Response Act includes proposals from five Senate committees and over 70 senators. 

The legislation aims to tackle the problem in a number of ways. One key provision is the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention Act, or STOP Act, which aims to prevent illegal drugs from being sent through the mail. Another key provision fast-tracks research for new, non-addictive painkillers. Some of the bill's other measures try to improve treatment for people who are addicted to opioids. 

The bill now heads back to the House, which passed similar legislation earlier this year. Sen. Lamar Alexander, who sponsored the bill, said he hopes to get it to the president's desk by September 21.