Today, H.R. 3153, the Expanding Findings for Federal Opioid Research and Treatment (EFFORT) Act--bipartisan legislation introduced by Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA)--was reported favorably out of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology unanimously by a voice vote.
“Every year, more than one thousand Virginians die from opioid-related overdoses,” said Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton. “Not one community in our Commonwealth is untouched by this crisis.”
“Addiction is an illness, and as with any illness, we must invest in evidence-based approaches to provide effective treatment. In order to combat the scourge of addiction, robust scientific research across multiple disciplines is needed to help close existing research gaps. Enlisting the resources of the National Science Foundation is a common sense step we can and should take right now.”
The EFFORT Act directs the NSF, in consultation with the National Institutes of Health, to support basic research focused on opioid addiction, allowing for further understanding of the multiple aspects of opioid addiction.
Congresswoman Wexton’s bill would help close research gaps that currently exist in the study of opioid addiction and also promote greater collaboration and interdisciplinary research on the epidemic.
Congresswoman Wexton is a founding member of the bipartisan Freshmen Working Group on Addiction and has been a strong advocate for addiction prevention and recovery efforts since her time in the state Senate when she served on the Governor’s Task Force On Prescription Drug And Heroin Abuse. Earlier this year, the Congresswoman participated in a roundtable with the Northern Shenandoah Valley Substance Abuse Coalition to discuss the importance of increased federal funding to addiction and treatment programs in the region.
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