Skip to Content

Press Releases

INFO Act, Latta-authored Legislation to Combat the Opioid Crisis, Approved by the U.S. House of Representatives

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation introduced by Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) to combat the opioid crisis. H.R. 4284, the INFO Act, will establish an accessible database for information and resources that can be used by health care providers, state and local governments, pharmacists, advocates, and law enforcement. Additionally, the INFO Act will track Federal funding being used to combat the epidemic.

“Every day, more than 115 Americans will die because of an overdose,” said Latta. “While this crisis continues to devastate communities, there is still a lack of information that is making it difficult to create strategies that can effectively address this epidemic. At the same time, I continue to hear from constituents in my district that don’t know where to turn to receive Federal funding, despite record resources being made available. I authored the INFO Act to solve these problems, and make it so those on the front lines can easily find the data and information they need to best serve their communities.”

The passage of the INFO Act is one of the dozens of bills the House is considering this week and next. Latta serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee which approved 57 pieces of legislation to combat the opioid crisis last month.

To watch Latta speak on the House floor about the legislation, click here.

In 2016, 4,050 Ohio residents died of unintentional drug overdoses, the highest in the nation and a 32 percent increase over 2015. More than 64,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2016, including illicit drugs and prescription opioids. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, that number has nearly doubled within the last decade.

                                                                                                                                         ###

Back to top