U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) earlier this week requested action by the U.S. House of Representatives on his bipartisan proposal to reauthorize a comprehensive opioid abuse grant program that could help combat the recent rise in opioid-related deaths nationwide.

Rep. Joyce urged U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to bring to the floor for a vote the Comprehensive Opioid Program Extension (COPE) Act of 2019, H.R. 1528, which he sponsored in March 2019 with lead cosponsor U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) to reauthorize the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) opioid abuse grant program through fiscal year 2024. 

“The harsh reality is that all of us know someone who has been impacted by this crisis,” wrote Rep. Joyce. “And with the coronavirus pandemic already causing an increase in fatal overdoses when compared to last year’s record high, congressional action is overdue.”

According to preliminary 2019 overdose death data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 37 states saw fatal drug overdoses increase or remain stable from 2018 data, while an analysis released by the White House found that overdose deaths this year increased 11.4 percent from January to April compared with the same period in 2019.

The congressman wrote that lawmakers “must act swiftly to redouble” their efforts toward stopping the opioid crisis, an epidemic that he said requires an all-encompassing approach comprised of prevention and education efforts, as well as promotes treatment, cracks down on illegal distribution, and bolsters resources for first responders and law enforcement.

If enacted, H.R. 1528 would accomplish such goals by increasing funding for DOJ’s comprehensive opioid abuse grant program by $70 million per year from 2020 through 2024, for a total annual amount of $400 million. “We must advance legislative solutions that allow Democrats and Republicans to join together in a bipartisan effort to defeat the opioid crisis,” he wrote, “a solution like the COPE Act.”

Rep. Joyce on July 31 also discussed the issue on the House floor, where he said that the nation in 2018 saw its first decline in drug overdose deaths in nearly 30 years, a decrease that he said has been quickly erased.

“This crisis has been breaking apart families and threatening the safety of our communities for far too long,” said Rep. Joyce. “The American people are ready for Democrats and Republicans in Congress to join together to help them stop it.”

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