Senate

Senate ends debate on opioid bill

by Jordain Carney - 03/09/16 1:02 PM ET

A bipartisan opioid abuse bill is headed toward the finish line in the Senate.

Senators overwhelmingly voted 93-3 Wednesday to end debate on the legislation. Sixty votes were needed to overcome the final procedural hurdle.

{mosads}Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) voted against moving forward with the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, or CARA.

The legislation is expected to get a final vote as soon as Wednesday afternoon, though no vote is currently scheduled. If lawmakers run out of procedural clock it could be pushed to as late as Thursday afternoon.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) urged support for the legislation earlier Wednesday, saying it would mark a “big step” in combating a growing overdose epidemic.

“The bill before us, with all of its important provisions, is the result of hard work and leadership from many colleagues on both sides of the aisle,” he said, adding that the legislation underscores what the Senate can get done with bipartisanship.

The bill, from Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), authorizes funding for programs to combat prescription opioid abuse, in addition to increasing the availability of naloxone, a drug to treat overdose.

Democrats initially demanded that $600 million in emergency funding be attached to the legislation, but quickly relented and acknowledged they would support the opioid bill without the extra funding.

McConnell added Wednesday that there was up to $400 million included in last year’s omnibus bill that could be used to support CARA.

Once the legislation passes the Senate it still needs to be merged with a separate bill in the House.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported earlier this year that overdose deaths hit an all-time high in 2014.

Tags Ed Markey Mike Lee Mitch McConnell Rob Portman Sheldon Whitehouse