Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., questioned the blistering pace of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s consideration of more than 50 opioid bills Wednesday.
“I am concerned that the sheer quantity of bills and the chairman’s ambitious timeframe will not give us enough time to get these policies right,” said Pallone, the committee’s top Democrat.
Pallone spoke before the third legislative hearing of the health subcommittee on opioid legislation. The hearing focused on more than 30 bills aimed at reforming Medicare and Medicaid to combat the opioid epidemic.
Pallone said most of the bills don’t include technical assistance or a score from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. He added that the committee hasn’t looked at the vast majority of the more than 30 bills being considered at the legislative hearing Wednesday.
“At times to me this process feels more like an opioids media blitz than a thoughtful discussion of our national crisis,” Pallone said.
Nevertheless, Pallone praised some of the legislation, and added, “Many of the proposals have merit.”
Over the last few months, the committee has looked at more than 50 bills that take on different facets of the opioid epidemic that killed more than 64,000 Americans in 2016. Some of the bills deal with expanding treatment options while others seek to bolster enforcement tools.
House Energy and Commerce leaders hope to get all of the bills through the House through the Memorial Day recess. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is also considering major legislation to tackle the epidemic.
