BREAKING NEWS FROM WASHINGTON D.C. – CARA is on the move!
The Senate voted 95-1 to send the Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act (CARA) to conference with the House, in an effort to send a final bill to the president’s desk before Congress recesses in mid-July. (Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) voted against the motion.)
CARA’s sponsors, Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), are not among the Senate’s conferees, but Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) will serve on the conference committee, along with 35 House members (see list below).
CARA co-sponsor Sen. Portman has been critical of the House’s package (which focuses almost solely on the opioid epidemic), saying the Senate bill is more comprehensive. Recovery advocates have also shown a preference for CARA because it prioritizes prevention efforts and includes provisions that address recovery programs. In a statement, Sen. Portman said:
“I’m pleased that CARA is the position of the Senate as we move into this conference discussion[.] My staff and I have been working very closely with our conferees, Senator Whitehouse, and other members to help find common ground between the two chambers.”
Unfortunately, no Minnesota legislators are members of the CARA Conference Committee. Nonetheless, our elected officials need to hear our stories. In order to ensure that the final bill presents a comprehensive approach to addiction, Faces and Voices of Recovery (FAVOR) is asking constituents to take action today. Tell FAVOR why CARA and a comprehensive approach to this public health crisis is so critical.
Republican Conferees:
- Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California
- Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton of Michigan
- Judiciary Chairman Robert W. Goodlatte of Virginia
- Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin
- Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas
- Rep. Tom Marino of Pennsylvania
- Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia
- Rep. Dave Trott of Michigan
- Rep. Mike Bishop of Michigan
- Rep. Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania
- Rep. Leonard Lance of New Jersey
- Rep. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky
- Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois
- Rep. Larry Bucshon of Indiana
- Rep. Susan W. Brooks of Indiana
- Rep. Lou Barletta of Pennsylvania
- Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter of Georgia
- Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida
- Rep. Jackie Walorski of Indiana
- Rep. Patrick Meehan of Pennsylvania
- Rep. Robert J. Dold of Illinois
Democratic Conferees:
- Energy and Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey,
- Judiciary ranking member John Conyers Jr. of Michigan
- Education and Workforce ranking member Robert C. Scott of Virginia
- Rep. Jim McDermott of Washington
- Rep. Gene Green of Texas
- Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas
- Rep. Joe Courtney of Connecticut
- Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee
- Rep. John Sarbanes of Maryland
- Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico
- Rep. Judy Chu of California
- Rep. Elizabeth Esty of Connecticut
- Rep. Ann McLane Kuster of New Hampshire
- Rep. Raul Ruiz of California
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Minnesota Recovery Connection
