Reps. Trone, Armstrong, Sherrill, and Riggleman Announce Bill to Authorize $5 Billion for State Opioid Response Grants

WASHINGTON - Today, Representative David Trone (D-MD), along with Reps. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), and Denver Riggleman (R-VA) announced a bill that would provide $5 billion in funding over five years to fight the opioid epidemic in every community across the country.

The bill would authorize for five years the State Opioid Response (SOR) Grants and Tribal Opioid Response (TOR) Grants, which have only been funded for two years by Congress starting in 2018. These important programs provide funding to states to reduce overdose related deaths through prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts. Each state receives not less than $4 million through the program, with additional funding provided to the ten states with the highest mortality rates due to drug overdoses.

This is the first bill of many from members of the bipartisan Freshmen Working Group on Addiction, the largest working group in the freshman class dedicated to bringing fresh eyes to the addiction crisis. The group consists of 55 members of the freshman class from 30 states across the country.

"This crisis affects each and every community across America, and we have to ensure that each state has the resources necessary to combat this tragedy," said Congressman David Trone (D-MD). "In my first 100 days in office I spoke with health departments, hospitals, first responders, elected officials, police officers, incarcerated individuals, mental health professionals, early childhood organizations, and those suffering from addiction. I heard loud and clear that we need additional and consistent funding to end this crisis. This legislation does just that. I thank Representatives Armstrong, Sherrill, and Riggleman for joining me in this bipartisan effort."

"The opioid crisis continues to ravage communities all across the country. It does not discriminate by age, race or socio-economic status," said Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND). "We need to provide a stable and certain funding source so that our state, local and tribal governments can continue to develop the resources they so desperately need to combat this crisis. I'm excited to join congressmen and women on both sides of the aisle to authorize this funding."

"New Jersey lost more than 3,000 individuals to overdoses in 2018. I've spoken to advocates, patients, healthcare professionals, and law enforcement officers in our community, and the lack of resources constantly comes up as a roadblock to progress in combating the opioid epidemic," said Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ). "Extending the State Opioid Response Grant program will give New Jersey and states across the country resources to address the opioid epidemic over the long term. The Freshmen Working Group on Addiction is committed to bipartisan solutions to address the addiction crisis, and I'm proud to work with Representatives Trone, Armstrong, and Riggleman to lead this effort."

"When we started the Freshman Working Group on Addiction, we pledged to generate new ideas and make progress. Communities are struggling with too many challenges and not enough resources and we need to act," said Congressman Denver Riggleman (R-VA). This bill starts to address some of those challenges, and is the first of many the Working Group will produce. It is a positive step towards combating the very real crisis of opioid addiction that has had devastating consequences for families across the nation."

Armstrong is in his first term as the lone representative for the state of North Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives.

To read more about the State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act, click here.

To watch a replay of the press conference, click here.