Should the DOJ’s Opioid Abuse Grant Program be Reauthorized & Tripled in Size? (H.R. 6029)

What is H.R. 6029?

(Updated December 27, 2018)

This bill — the REGROUP Act — would reauthorize the Dept. of Justice’s Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant Program through fiscal year 2023 with $330 million in annual funding. The program provides grants which support a variety of programs, such as increased training for first responders, veterans treatment courts, drug courts, and implementation of prescription drug monitoring programs. It’s currently funded with $103 million annually.

The bill’s full title is the Reauthorizing and Extending Grants for Recovery from Opioid Use Programs Act of 2018.

Argument in favor

Reauthorizing and increasing the size of the DOJ’s opioid abuse grant program will improve drug treatment and addiction prevention efforts while enhancing relevant training for first responders.

Argument opposed

Renewing and increasing the size of the DOJ’s opioid abuse grant program won’t have a worthwhile impact on combating the opioid epidemic.

Impact

Individuals, first responders, and treatment providers; and the Dept. of Justice.

Cost of H.R. 6029

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Keith Rothfus (R-PA) introduced this bill to reauthorize and expand the DOJ’s Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant Program:

“Finding solutions to the opioid crisis remains a top priority for me. Our nation’s drug epidemic claimed tens of thousands of lives in recent years and continues to destroy thousands more. To end this crisis, Congress and the Administration must support a comprehensive approach that focuses on drug treatment, prevention, and enforcement. The Department of Justice’s Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program addresses all three of these. I am proud to sponsor legislation that not only reauthorizes these valuable grants, but authorizes an increase in their funding through 2023. In my capacity on the Judiciary Committee, I will continue to do everything I can to help end the epidemic. I look forward to the House considering this and other vital pieces of legislation focused on combating the opioid epidemic.”

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. Keith Rothfus (R-PA) Press Release
  
• WJAC