Key members of the Senate Committee on Finance are working on legislation to allow states to use some foster care funds to support parents who are addicted to opioids in raising their infants, Reuters reports.
The senators are crafting the law as part of a larger effort to tackle the nationwide opioid crisis with increased prevention, treatment and law enforcement.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), the committee's ranking left-wing representative, cited a Reuters investigation that recently revealed 110 preventable deaths of infants sent home with opioid-addicted parents unable to provide sufficient care. The report also found one drug-dependent baby is born in the U.S. every 19 minutes.
Committee Chairman Sen. Orin Hatch (R-Utah) commented on the effort during a hearing Tuesday, saying "Children and families are relying on us to take this important step."
According to the report, the senators only described the general scope of the bill they plan to introduce. While they avoided offering specifics for the "Family First Act," their staffers told Reuters the money would likely come from existing funds.
To learn more about the Senate Committee on Finance's testimony, read it click here.
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