Kuster Welcomes Inclusion of Opioid Funding in House Passed Continuing Resolution

**Opioid funding in Continuing Resolution will help expedite the funds to frontlines of the crisis**

**Continuing Resolution must now be considered by the Senate**

(Washington, DC) – Today, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) welcomed passage of a Continuing Resolution (CR) in the House of Representatives that includes funding to address the opioid epidemic. The CR includes $500 million of the funding in the 21st Century Cures Act, legislation supported by Kuster which passed Congress yesterday. The funding will support state efforts to address the opioid addiction crisis. The Continuing Resolution will fund government operations until April 28, 2017.

“I’m hopeful that the inclusion of this critical funding in the Continuing Resolution will help the administration get these resources to the states as quickly as possible,” said Congresswoman Kuster. “In New Hampshire, we’re facing a public health emergency and these funds will make a real difference for those on the frontlines providing education, prevention, treatment, and recovery services. I stand ready to work with the administration, my colleagues, and stakeholders in New Hampshire to allocate these funds swiftly.”

Congresswoman Kuster is the co-founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic. She has been at the forefront of the fight to address the heroin and opioid crisis at the federal level and in New Hampshire, and she has been an outspoken advocate for the need to support medical, law enforcement, treatment, and recovery efforts.

Kuster has hosted numerous roundtables with law enforcement, treatment providers, and recovery experts throughout New Hampshire and brought the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic to New Hampshire for a field hearing to hear directly from local stakeholders. She supported the passage of 18 legislative items targeting the opioid epidemic, many of which were championed by the Task Force that Kuster co-founded. In recognition of her leadership on this issue, Kuster was appointed to the conference committee tasked with producing the final version of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) – a role typically reserved for more senior members.