Lawmakers to Gather Testimony on PA’s Drug Epidemic in Philadelphia
WHAT: Republicans and Democrats in the state Legislature are joining forces to attempt to tackle the state’s opioid crisis.
Led by Chair of the House Majority Policy Committee Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin) and Chair of the House Minority Policy Committee Mike Sturla (D-Lancaster), members of the House of Representatives and state Senate are traveling the Commonwealth to gather testimony about the growing drug epidemic and how it is impacting communities. At the conclusion of the tour, the joint committee will make legislative and policy recommendations for the Legislature to consider when it reconvenes this fall for a special session on the opioid crisis.
The eight-stop tour commenced last week with three hearings in Western Pennsylvania and will continue next week with hearings in Bucks County and Philadelphia. The fifth hearing in the tour, hosted by Rep. Maria Donatucci (D- Phila./Delaware), will be held on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
WHO: Members of the House and Senate policy committees.
Testifiers will include: Sam Marshall, Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania; Dr. Mike Consuelos, The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania; Gary Riddle, Healthcare Distribution Alliance; Brian O’Neill and Deni Carise, Ph.D., Recovery Centers of America; Linda Donovan-Magdamo and Lisa Feldman, Resources for Human Development; Art Fastman, NHS Human Services; and Kathleen Reeves, MD FAAP, and Ellen Unterwald, Ph.D., Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.
WHEN: Tuesday, Aug. 16, from 2-4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Temple University's Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Medical Education and Research Building, Wendy and Solomon Luo Auditorium, Room 105,
3500 N. Broad St., Philadelphia.
WATCH LIVE: Barring technical difficulties, the hearing will be live-streamed at
pagoppolicy.com.
Media contact: Morgan Wagner, 717.260.6281,
mwagner@pahousegop.com