Drug Epidemic
The PROP Act:
Congressman Mooney introduced H.R. 4499-Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing (PROP) Act with a group of bipartisan cosponsors in February 2016.
- This bill would remove an Obamacare penalty on doctors who refuse to overprescribe prescription painkillers. In doing so, this bill empowers doctors, not the federal government, to choose what is right for patients.
- The PROP Act is supported by the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association, the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the Friends of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, and the WV State Medical Society.
- Congressman Mooney has been working closely with the Senate to further this bill. Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin recently introduced the bill as an Amendment to the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, S. 524.
HIDTA:
Congressman Mooney tirelessly advocated for Jefferson County, WV, to be included as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). He led the WV House of Representatives Delegation in sending two letters to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) asking for this designation and met with numerous state stakeholders throughout the district.
- Due in large part to Congressman Mooney’s efforts, Jefferson County was designated as a HIDTA county this year.
- The HIDTA designation will bring critical financial resources to Jefferson County and the entire Panhandle to combat the drug abuse epidemic. These resources will help federal, state, and local law enforcement officials better fight this epidemic.
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome:
- Congressman Mooney cosponsored The Protecting Our Infants Act, a bill that helps babies suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome, a painful condition from being exposed to drugs in utero. This bill passed the House and Senate and was signed into law by the President.
In the District:
Congressman Mooney is passionate about getting ideas for how to stop the drug abuse epidemic from people in district.
- He has held two community round tables on this issue, where he heard from law enforcement officers, doctors, community leaders, and people in recovery.
- He also accompanied two Charleston police officers on a “ride along,” where he observed how law enforcement works every day to stop drug traffickers in our state.
Other Bills:
- Congressman Mooney is a cosponsor of H.R.4599-the Reducing Unused Medications Act. This bill would allow pharmacists to partially fill a patient’s prescription, thereby reducing the amount of unused medication in the population. Often, prescription drug abusers steal unused prescriptions from family and friends. This bill, by reducing the number of pills out there, would reduce these instances of stealing.
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More on Drug Epidemic
MARTINSBURG - A bill known as the Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing (PROP) Act, which was introduced by U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., earlier this year, has been enacted as law in West Virginia.
The bill removes reimbursements from pain-management questions.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Alex X. Mooney announced that his bill, H.R. 4499, the Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing (PROP) Act, will be implemented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
West Virginia has the highest rate of opioid overdose deaths in the country — more than double the national average. This drug abuse epidemic is a tragedy that we cannot afford to ignore. It ravages our communities, rips families apart, stunts the development of our youth and harms our economy.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bill that would take pressure off doctors who prescribe narcotic pain medications to patients at hospitals is being discussed in Congress.
On Wednesday, West Virginia Second District Congressman Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) discussed the Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing (PROP) Act to the Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives.
MARTINSBURG-Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Republican Congressman Alex Mooney of West Virginia, presented a package of 15 bills targeted toward the heroin and opioid epidemic during a press conference Thursday morning.
The outdoor conference was held at the nation's capitol in Washington, D.C.
Mooney, who presented and spoke about a bill he introduced known as the Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing Act, said he was pleased with the way the press conference went.
MARTINSBURG-Republican Congressman Alex Mooney has introduced a bill known as the Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing (PROP) Act, and the bill has recently gained national attention from Time magazine.
Democratic Senator Joe Manchin also co-sponsored a similar piece of legislation in the U.S. Senate, so the bills will be seen in both the Senate and House chambers.
Not long ago Dr. Bill Sullivan, an emergency-room physician in rural Spring Valley, Ill., refused to prescribe a potentially habit-forming painkiller to a patient that had requested it by name. That might seem like a good thing since opioid addiction has become a national epidemic.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Alex X. Mooney’s bill, the Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing Act, also known as the PROP Act, was introduced in the United States Senate by Ron Johnson (WI-R), Joe Manchin (WV-D), John Barrasso (WY-R) and Richard Blumenthal (CT-D). This bill makes a technical modification to the Affordable Care Act to eliminate a potential penalty on physicians who refuse to overprescribe opioid drugs.
WASHINGTON D.C. – Yesterday, the House Budget Committee passed the budget out of committee for Fiscal Year 2017. The Republican Budget includes a proposed item from Congressman Alex X. Mooney that makes combating opioid abuse a high priority in Congress.
WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, Congressman Alex X. Mooney announced nearly $1 million in grant funding from the Department of Health and Human Services for three community health centers in the Second Congressional District.