Senate passes massive legislation to combat opioid crisis

The Senate passed on Monday by a nearly unanimous vote a bill containing 70 measures aimed at fighting the opioid epidemic, setting up a conference with the House of Representatives to reconcile differences between the versions and send legislation to President Trump.

The Senate’s Opioid Response Act includes measures that range from expanding access to treatments for opioid addiction to changing the packaging of opioids to prevent overuse. The measure passed 99-1, with Sen. MIke Lee, R-Utah, being the lone dissenting vote.