Post by pavel on Mar 4, 2016 5:44:12 GMT -6
WASHINGTON — The Senate is poised to pass legislation as soon as this week to combat heroin and prescription drug abuse after Democrats said they won’t block the bill even as they push for more funding to deal with the crisis.
Democrats are pushing an amendment to add $600 million in spending to the bill, but will not hold up final passage of the legislation if it fails.
“There certainly is no desire to take the bill down over that through the caucus at large,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., an author of the legislation. “If somebody’s so mad about that that they just can’t bring themselves to vote for it, that will be their personal decision.”
The move by Democratic leaders not to block the bill is a sign of how important addressing the nation’s worsening opioid abuse epidemic has become for many members of Congress.
Read more: www.santafenewmexican.com/news/democrats-won-t-block-opioid-abuse-bill-over-funding-dispute/article_6ac63f0c-0b5d-5e2c-843e-09d216debf6c.html
Democrats are pushing an amendment to add $600 million in spending to the bill, but will not hold up final passage of the legislation if it fails.
“There certainly is no desire to take the bill down over that through the caucus at large,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., an author of the legislation. “If somebody’s so mad about that that they just can’t bring themselves to vote for it, that will be their personal decision.”
The move by Democratic leaders not to block the bill is a sign of how important addressing the nation’s worsening opioid abuse epidemic has become for many members of Congress.
Read more: www.santafenewmexican.com/news/democrats-won-t-block-opioid-abuse-bill-over-funding-dispute/article_6ac63f0c-0b5d-5e2c-843e-09d216debf6c.html