- Senate Health Panel Approves Opioid Bill The Hill by Rachel Roubein —The Senate Health Committee unanimously voted Tuesday to send the panel's bipartisan opioid bill to the chamber's floor. The panel held seven hearings on the opioid crisis, including one on the discussion draft of the bill introduced by Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and ranking member Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Lawmakers touted the bipartisan process used to craft the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 aimed at combating the opioid crisis, which has shown no signs of slowing down. Specifically, the bill includes measures attempting to make it easier to prescribe smaller packs of opioids for limited durations, spur the development of non-addictive painkillers and bolster the detection of illegal drugs at the border.