A number of measures that U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly has either introduced or supported to combat the opioid abuse epidemic were signed into law by President Trump on Friday as part of the bipartisan government funding bill. The law includes funds to support the addiction treatment workforce through National Health Service Corps, which Donnelly advocated for as part of his Strengthening the Addiction Treatment Workforce Act, bipartisan legislation he introduced with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). That funding will help recruit more substance use disorder providers to serve in underserved communities.
The law includes $4 billion in funds for grants to states this year to combat the epidemic through prevention, treatment and recovery programs, which Donnelly has repeatedly supported, including in last month’sbipartisan budget agreement.