A bill was recently signed into law by President Joe Biden received bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, which was led by a pair of Republicans from Iowa.

Iowa’s Fourth Congressional District Representative Randy Feenstra and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley were the original sponsors for the Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act. Feenstra tells Raccoon Valley Radio that his bill follows a similar program that the US Department of Justice created for suburban areas to treat and prevent opioids, but in specifically rural areas of the country.

“Hospitals, communities, or non-profits can get a grant and create a plan to identify, and prevent, and treat opioid addiction.”

Feenstra explains his inspiration to be the co-sponsor of the bill, along with Democrat Representative Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania, was serving as an EMT for 15 years in Hull, Iowa and seeing the opioid epidemic firsthand.

“And people, whether it be a high school kid blowing out his ACL and getting hooked on opioids, to a farmer (who is) having back problems and getting hooked. It has no face, meaning that whatever age you are just happens, you take pills for an injury and you get hooked on them.”   

Feenstra adds the bill nearly received unanimous support in the House and it did get unanimous support in the Senate. The bill was signed by President Biden on December 20th.