Heffley, House Leaders Announce Completion of Opioid Task Force Recommendations - Bipartisan House Leaders Call for Special Session to Combat Opioid Crisis
HARRISBURG – In a bipartisan effort to address Pennsylvania’s devastating opioid crisis, Rep. Doyle Heffley (R-Carbon) today announced the completion of the recommendations from the House Resolution 659 Task Force and Advisory Committee on Opioid Prescription Drug Proliferation by the Joint State Government Commission.
Gov. Tom Wolf, Speaker Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny), Majority Leader Dave Reed (R-Indiana), Rep. Harry Readshaw (D-Allegheny) and Rep. Stephen Kinsey (D-Philadelphia) joined Heffley and more than 100 House members to call for continued work on the opioid issue in Pennsylvania.
Opioids are a class of drugs derived from or pharmacologically similar to opiates. These analgesics carry a significant risk of addiction. Some data suggest that 60 percent of prescription opioid deaths occur in patients with no history of substance abuse and who are only prescribed an opioid by one health care practitioner.
The recommendations include five pieces of legislation passed by the House:
- House Bill 1737 (John Maher, R-Allegheny)—Provides for the proper disposal of unused prescriptions. The measure passed the House unanimously May 16, 2016.
- House Resolution 590 (Stephen Kinsey, D-Philadelphia)—Directs the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs to establish and administer a task force on access to addiction treatment through health plans.The measure passed the House unanimously May 16, 2016.
- House Bill 1698 (Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon)—Provides coverage of abuse deterrent opioids. The measure passed the House on June 23, 2016.
- House Bill 1699 (Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe/Pike)—Sets a seven-day limit on the prescription of opioids in emergency departments. The measure passed the House on June 23, 2016.
- House Bill 1805 (Kurt Masser, R-Northumberland/Columbia/Montour)—Requires prescribers and dispensers to undergo continuing education in pain management, addiction and prescribing practices. The measure passed the House on June 23, 2016.
“Opioid abuse is the No. 1 health crisis in our state. It is taking the lives of far too many Pennsylvanians, and my colleagues and I are determined to find solutions to this complicated issue. We passed five bills based on the recommendations from the Opioid Prescription Drug Proliferation Task Force and these are substantial first steps toward curbing opioid abuse in our Commonwealth,” said Heffley. “This crisis is far from over and there is much work to be done. But I am encouraged by our progress and the spirit of bipartisanship surrounding this issue.”
Speaker of the House Mike Turzai and House Majority Leader Dave Reed encouraged Gov. Tom Wolf to call a special session of the General Assembly to continue the bipartisan effort to proactively and effectively combat the opioid crisis gripping Pennsylvania.
“Opioid overdoses and deaths cut across all age groups, economic sectors and racial demographics,” said Turzai. “This isn’t a partisan issue, as we have been fighting it for years in the House, and we are respectfully requesting the governor call a special session so we can best protect our children, families and communities.”
Under Article IV, Section 12 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, the governor can convene the General Assembly “on extraordinary occasions” by proclamation. When the General Assembly is convened in a special session, its members can only consider legislation on those subjects designated in the governor’s proclamation.
“Extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary response and the opioid crisis in the Commonwealth is such an occasion,” said Reed. “A special session will allow us laser focus in putting measures in place to defeat the problem.”
Gov. Wolf responded favorably to the call for a special session and encouraged the Legislature to continue their work on this important issue.
Several legislators have proposed legislation to address the crisis – measures have been strategically focused on the following four areas: system innovations, technology advances, practice innovations and public education.
“The public health consequences of opioid misuse are broad and worrisome. As Democratic chairman of the Subcommittee on Drugs and Alcohol for the Human Services Committee, I am confident that we can pull all the parties together and work to address addiction treatment,” said Kinsey.
The House has also established the PA Heroin, Opioid Prevention and Education (PA-HOPE) Caucus. This bipartisan group of legislators, chaired by Rep. Aaron Kaufer (R-Luzerne) and Rep. Ed Gainey (D-Allegheny) and aimed at addressing the growing opioid epidemic, will issue its findings and recommendations in the next few days.
Representative Doyle Heffley
122nd District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Morgan Dux
717.260.6695
mdux@pahousegop.com
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