Although Democrats criticized the measure as inadequate, a bill aimed at combatting America's increasing addiction to opioids received near unanimous support in the U.S. Senate on Thursday.
The legislation now must be approved by the House of Representatives, after which it will be sent to President Obama to sign.
Advocates for treatment applauded the bill's passage, despite the absence of $600 million in emergency funds that Democrats as well as some of the Republicans leading the push for the bill had hoped would be attached to the legislation.
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The bill will still lead to increased spending on a variety of programs aimed at treating addicts in both health care facilities and within the corrections system. It will also impose stricter rules for monitoring prescription drugs and make naloxone (known commercially as Narcan) more available to providers and law enforcement agencies.
"This is big and significant," Marvin Ventrell, the executive director of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, told the New York Times. "It had legs and interest because of the opioid crisis that has hit Middle America."
The only senator to oppose the bill was Sen. Ben Sasse, a conservative with an independent streak who has gained prominence in recent weeks for saying that he would refuse to support Donald Trump for president even if the billionaire receives the GOP nomination. In a statement he cast doubts on the effectiveness of addiction treatment efforts at the federal level.
An amendment proposed by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen to add $600 million of funding was defeated. The amendment was backed by all of the chamber's Democrats along with a handful of Republicans, including Shaheen's fellow New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the lead sponsor of the overall bill.
The issue of opioid abuse has become a problem that has been met with a rare display of compassion across party lines. Members of Congress across the country have expressed alarm at the high rates of addiction and overdose deaths and some have expressed outrage over what they see as negligence by regulatory bodies, such as the Food and Drug Administration, that has led to millions hooked on powerful prescription painkillers.
Addiction to medication often precedes addiction to heroin, which is cheaper and often easier to access for addicts looking for a fix.
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