BY
House leaders on Friday are expected to vote to consolidate 18 pieces of legislation—all passed this week—that are meant to curb the U.S. opioid addiction epidemic. The Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act would provide $500 million in funding to states and local communities for education, prevention and treatment programs to combat the use of prescription painkillers and heroin. 
“The next step here is that we will take all of these ideas to a conference committee with the Senate,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said during a press briefing on Thursday. “Then we intend to send a bill to the president’s desk. And I hope each and every one of you will come back when we sign that bill. Because this is about people’s lives. It is about whole communities being torn apart. We can win this fight. And we must.”