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Legislation authored by Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) to combat the opioid crisis, H.R. 4284, the INFO Act, was passed yesterday by the Energy and Commerce (E&C) Subcommittee on Health. The bill helps state and local governments, advocates, health care providers, and law enforcement by collecting and aggregating data and information relating to the crisis and making it available in one location. The Subcommittee approved the INFO Act along with nearly sixty other pieces of legislation to address the opioid crisis.
 
“In one year, the opioid epidemic claimed more lives than the entire Vietnam War,” said Latta. “Ohio has been one of the hardest hit states, and I continue to hear from local governments, advocates, and health care providers that are having difficulty finding grant information or data that could make a real difference in their communities. The INFO Act will help those on the front lines of this crisis. In addition, the nearly sixty bills passed by the Subcommittee today will offer tangible solutions to preventing opioid abuse and helping those suffering from addiction.”
 
Latta spoke on his legislation at the mark-up. Video is available here.
 
The E&C Subcommittee on Health also passed Jessie’s Law, legislation that Rep. Latta is an original cosponsor of, that ensures medical professionals have access to all of a patient’s health information, including substance use disorder history, when making decisions on their treatment.
 
In 2016, 4,050 Ohio residents died of unintentional drug overdoses, the highest in the nation and a 32% increase over 2015. Overdose deaths are skyrocketing with 5,232 lives lost in a 12-month period between June 2016 and June 2017 – a 39 percent increase from the previous year and three times the national average. More than 64,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2016, including illicit drugs and prescription opioids. That number nearly doubled over the past decade, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
 
Latta has been a leader in his role on the Energy and Commerce Committee on efforts to combat the epidemic through the introduction of the INFO Act and his participation in discussions held on the crisis at the White House.
 
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