Courtney Named To Federal Addiction Committee

VERNON, CT - U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, (D-2nd District) has been appointed by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi to serve on the conference committee charged with crafting legislation to address the nation’s opioid addiction epidemic.

Courtney is a Vernon resident.

Last week, the U.S. House passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, a bill combining several different initiatives to help prevent and treat addiction to heroin and prescription drugs. The Senate passed its own version of that legislation on March 10. The conference committee to which Courtney was appointed has been charged with combining the House and Senate bills into a single piece of legislation that can be sent to the President and signed into law.

"I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to craft legislation to address the growing prescription opioid and heroin epidemic gripping our country," Courtney said. “I remain disappointed that the bills put forward by Senate and House leadership did not provide any new funding to address the growing drug abuse epidemic, but I am encouraged that the measure does include many well-intentioned bipartisan initiatives to address this crisis. I will press my colleagues on the committee to include a provision similar to my bill that would provide emergency funding to stem the growing public health crisis brought about by drug abuse.”

Courtney serves on the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel