Dozens of bills in the House being voted on to curb drug epidemic

As New Jersey and the United States continues to battle a drug epidemic wreaking havoc on so many, lawmakers are voting on a series of bills aimed at providing solutions to a deadly problem.

Shore Congressman Tom MacArthur (NJ - 3rd District - R) says these bills are not about funding or looking for some, they're about policy and prevention.

"There are things we can do and are doing in these bills that get at prevention like encouraging non-addictive opioid alternatives to treating pain, improving data to identify and help at-risk patients and families, educational initiatives and addressing high prescription rates," MacArthur said.

Over 50-bills in total are being voted on MacArthur said, all with a purpose.

"These are bills...some of which have come from the Bi-Partisan Heroin Task Force that I chair, some of them are medicare and tax related bills and some of them are changing policy," MacArthur said. "We're trying to address this crisis in a lot different ways and when we're done with all these bills, we'll pull it all together into a single overall bill that both funds and changes public policy."

One of the bills they're voting on in the House focuses on getting prescription drug monitoring programs which will limit the amount of prescriptions someone can get.

The series of policy changes being proposed also plan to help local communities fight back against this epidemic.

"(With these bills) we give our law enforcement organizations tools to get dangerous drugs out of their communities, we do things to better intercept opioids at international mail facilities and we're providing more resources for local communities," MacArthur said.

"A lot of these bills deal with improving and expanding access to treatment and recovery services," MacArthur said. "We provide incentives for enhanced care and coordination."

Once the bills pass the house, they'll go to the Senate in a single bill package called 'The Support for Patients and Communities Act, HR-6.

"We just have to keep trying to cut off the supply of drugs," MacArthur said. "We have to keep trying get at the funding, particularly from the federal government."

Here are the bills among others to come being voted on in the House:

H.R. 449 - Synthetic Drug Awareness Act of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 3331 - To amend title XI of the Social Security Act to promote testing of incentive payments for behavioral health providers for adoption and use of certified electronic health record technology, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Lynn Jenkins / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 4284 - INFO Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Bob Latta / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 4684 - Ensuring Access to Quality Sober Living Act of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Judy Chu / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5002 - ACE Research Act (Sponsored by Rep. Debbie Dingell / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5009 - Jessie's Law, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Tim Walberg / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5041 - Safe Disposal of Unused Medication Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Tim Walberg / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5102 - Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Act of 2018 (Sponsored by Rep. Katherine Clark / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5176 - Preventing Overdoses While in Emergency Rooms Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. David McKinley / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5197 - ALTO Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Bill Pascrell / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5202 - Ensuring Patient Access to Substance Use Disorder Treatments Act of 2018 (Sponsored by Rep. Ryan Costello / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5228 - SCREEN Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5261 - TEACH to Combat Addiction Act of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Bill Johnson / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5272 - To ensure that programs and activities that are funded by a grant, cooperative agreement, loan, or loan guarantee from the Department of Health and Human Services, and whose purpose is to prevent or treat a mental health or substance use disorder, are evidence-based, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Steve Stivers / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5327 - Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Brett Guthrie / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5329 - Poison Center Network Enhancement Act of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Susan Brooks / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5353 - Eliminating Opioid Related Infectious Diseases Act of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Leonard Lance / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5473 - Better Pain Management Through Better Data Act of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Barbara Comstock / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5483 - Special Registration for Telemedicine Clarification Act of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Buddy Carter / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5582 - Abuse Deterrent Access Act of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Buddy Carter / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5583 - To amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require States to annually report on certain adult health quality measures, and for other purposes (Sponsored by Rep. Yvette Clarke / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5587 - Peer Support Communities of Recovery Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Ben Ray Luján / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5685 - Medicare Opioid Safety Education Act of 2018 (Sponsored by Rep. John Faso / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5800 - Medicaid IMD ADDITIONAL INFO Act (Sponsored by Rep. Fred Upton / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5812 - CONNECTIONS Act (Sponsored by Rep. Morgan Griffith / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 4275 - Empowering Pharmacists in the Fight Against Opioid Abuse Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Mark DeSaulnier / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 5294 - Treating Barriers to Prosperity Act of 2018 (Sponsored by Rep. Lou Barletta / Transportation and Infrastructure Committee).

H.R. 5752 - Stop Illicit Drug Importation Act of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Marsha Blackburn / Energy and Commerce Committee).

H.R. 6902 - REGROUP Act of 2018 (Sponsored by Rep. Keith Rothfus / Judiciary Committee).

H.R. 5889 - Recognizing Early Childhood Trauma Related to Substance Abuse Act of 2018 (Sponsored by Rep. Dave Brat / Education and the Workforce Committee).

H.R. 5890 - Assisting States’ Implementation of Plans of Safe Care Act (Sponsored by Rep. Tom Garrett / Education and the Workforce Committee).

H.R. 5891 - Improving the Federal Response to Families Impacted by Substance Use Disorder Act (Sponsored by Rep. Glenn Grothman / Education and the Workforce Committee).

H.R. 5892 - To establish an Advisory Committee on Opioids and the Workplace to advise the Secretary of Labor on actions the Department of Labor can take to address the impact of opioid abuse on the workplace (Sponsored by Rep. Jason Lewis / Education and the Workforce Committee).

House Amendment to S. 1091 - Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act (Sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins / Education and the Workforce Committee).

H.R. 2147 - Veterans Treatment Court Improvement Act of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Mike Coffman / Veterans Affairs Committee).

H.R. 4635 - To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the number of peer-to-peer counselors providing counseling for women veterans, and for other purposes, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Mike Coffman / Veterans Affairs Committee).

H.R. 5788 - Securing the International Mail Against Opioids Act of 2018 (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Mike Bishop / Ways and Means Committee).

H.R. 5735 - Transitional Housing for Recovery in Viable Environments Demonstration Program Act, Rules Committee Print (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Andy Barr / Financial Services Committee).

H.R. 2851 - Stop the Importation and Trafficking of Synthetic Analogues Act of 2017, Rules Committee Print (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. John Katko / Energy and Commerce Committee).

More From The Jersey Shore: