In January, Congress returned to Washington to officially start the second session of the 115^th Congress.  As of press time, the House and Senate are still negotiating on another short term continuing resolution (CR) to keep the federal government open.  Unless something changes, the latest CR will extend until February 16, 2018.

The purpose of the CR through February is to allow time for negotiators to reach an agreement on an omnibus package of the Fiscal Year 2018 spending bills and other priorities.  Such a package is expected to include the second half of the $1 billion ($500 million) in state grants for addressing the opioid misuse and overdose epidemic that was approved in the 21^st Century Cures Act in 2016.  Additionally, Senate Democrats in particular are advocating for an additional appropriation of money to address the epidemic as part of the spending package.  (The Hill: Senate Dems seek $25B in opioid funding)

Later this year the House and Senate may consider authorizing legislation to address the opioid misuse and overdose epidemic – the package is being referred to as “CARA 2.0” in a nod to the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which was enacted in 2016.  Discussions are in the early stages at this point with little clarity on which specific provisions might be included.