President Donald Trump signed H.R. 3889, the ONDCP Technical Corrections Act of 2019, into law. The bill, authored by Reps. Harley Rouda (D-CA) and Mark Meadows (R-NC), will improve the federal government’s response to the addiction crisis by strengthening the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
Said Rouda, “In Orange County, drug and alcohol overdose deaths have increased by 82 percent since 2000. This law will give the Office of National Drug Control Policy additional authority to help fight the addiction crisis. Thank you to Congressman Meadows and House Oversight Committee Members for their leadership on this issue, and to Members of the Senate and President Trump for expediting this life-saving legislation. H.R. 3889 is proof that Democrats and Republicans can come together to deliver common-sense solutions to help tackle some of our nation’s toughest problems.”
Said Meadows, “Far too many men, women, and families across the country have suffered from the preventable spread of drug abuse. I know for me, the issue is felt right at home, with over 12,000 North Carolinians dying as a result of the epidemic since 1996. This has got to end—and we believe Congress has an opportunity to lead by helping establish standards that address both prevention and treatment. I want to thank President Trump for showing a strong commitment to fighting this crisis, and once again thank my colleague, Harley Rouda, for his important work in the House on this effort.”
In 2018, Congress passed and President Trump signed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, a wide-ranging bipartisan bill aimed at addressing treatment, prevention, recovery, and enforcement. The SUPPORT Act included provisions to reauthorize and reform ONDCP, a component of the Executive Office of the President.
The ONDCP Technical Corrections Act of 2019 builds on the SUPPORT Act by including provisions that will help ensure the ONDCP can more effectively coordinate our national drug control efforts, including both supply reduction and demand reduction programs, and measure progress toward the achievement of national drug control objectives.
WATCH: Congressman Harley Rouda speaks about H.R. 3889, the ONDCP Technical Corrections Act of 2019 on the House floor.
This article was released by the Office of Congressman Harley Rouda.