WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said this after the Senate passed a bipartisan bill to help combat the opioid epidemic:

“Communities across our state have been devastated by the scourge of opioid addiction. I’m pleased that the Senate came together in a bipartisan fashion to pass this important bill to combat the opioid epidemic on multiple fronts. To improve upon the work of the Senate, I will continue to work with my colleagues on the SOFA Act – supported by the Attorneys General of all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico – to give law enforcement additional tools to curb the supply of illicit fentanyl.”

Sen. Johnson introduced the Stopping Overdoses of Fentanyl Analogues Act, or SOFA Act, to close a loophole in current law by immediately scheduling particular fentanyl analogues known in our communities under Schedule I, and provide the Drug Enforcement Agency with additional tools to quickly schedule other dangerous fentanyl analogues as they are identified. In August, attorneys general from all 50 states, Washington, D.C and Puerto Rico sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging swift passage of the SOFA Act.

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