The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved two pieces of legislation that Massachusetts lawmakers introduced in their continuing battle against opioid abuse, setting up a potential vote this fall on final passage by the House of Representatives.
On separate voice votes, the committee approved a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, D-Brookline, to strengthen prescription monitoring programs, and a bill introduced by Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Melrose, to help hospitals diagnose and treat newborns suffering from opiate exposure.
Several members of the committee spoke in favor of the two bills, urging colleagues to support a bipartisan effort to address the national epidemic of opioid abuse.
“The bill will combat the rise of prenatal opioid abuse and neonatal abstinence syndrome,” said Rep. Joe Pitts, R-Pa.”
Read more at: http://kingston.wickedlocal.com/article/20150806/NEWS/150808074
Source: Kingston.WickedLocal.com – August 6, 2015