McCaskill Priorities Included in Bipartisan Framework to Address Opioid Crisis

Senator’s priorities included additional resources for prescription drug monitoring programs, proposal to crack down on illegal importation of fentanyl

WASHINGTON – Continuing her fight to combat the opioid epidemic in Missouri and across the country, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill’s priorities to help address the crisis were successfully included in a major bipartisan legislative framework spearheaded by the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

“The opioid epidemic continues to devastate families and communities across Missouri—and while we’re seeing great local work combating it, there’s so much more to be done and this bipartisan plan is a big step in the right direction,” McCaskill said. “It’s a shame leaders in Jefferson City haven’t enacted a statewide drug monitoring program, but this plan would give the local efforts going on across Missouri access to much-needed support while also helping to crack down on the illegal shipments of fentanyl that are flooding our streets.”

The McCaskill-backed proposals to address the opioid crisis in Missouri—included in a draft framework for the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 that would improve the ability of the federal government to address the opioid crisis—include overdose prevention grants to strengthen local prescription drug monitoring programs, working with insurers on prevention activities, and greater use of prescribing guidelines.

Additionally, a McCaskill-backed proposal to improve detection and seizure of illegal drugs, such as fentanyl, through stronger coordination between the Food and Drug Administration and Customs and Border Protection, while requiring and providing equipment to test and detect controlled substances, was also included.

McCaskill has been an outspoken advocate in combating the opioid epidemic. Following her successful work to ensure county and municipal level prescription drug monitoring programs would be eligible for federal funds and her support for their grant applications, McCaskill announced that St. Louis County was awarded $1 million to support the network of county and city level prescription drug monitoring programs in Missouri.

In her role as the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, McCaskill has worked to enhance border security and target drug trafficking. President Trump signed into law a McCaskill-backed bill to help stop the flow of fentanyl across the borders. The bill arms Customs and Border Protection with additional chemical screening devices to help detect illegal opioids. McCaskill has also requested documents from the Departments of State and Homeland Security, and United States Postal Service about intercepting opioid shipments from foreign countries.

Visit www.mccaskill.senate.gov/opioid-investigation to learn more about McCaskill’s investigation.

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