Senators pushing opioid, fentanyl-related bills

WASHINGTON — Sen. Sher- rod Brown last week intro- duced a bill aiming to invest $45 million in schools hard hit by the opioid epidemic.

Brown, an Ohio Democrat, introduced a bill aimed at encouraging “full service community schools,” which provide additional support, including services for non-ac- ademic needs, to students in areas most affected by the opioid epidemic.

The b ill would direct resources to schools serv- ing low-income students in high poverty areas with high rates of substance use issues and encourage those who receive the money to work with other districts, parents and community partners. It would set aside 30 percent of the money for rural schools affected by the opioid crisis. grants aimed at re-training those workers and helping them find new jobs.

“We’ve asked them to speed it up,” Brown said in a conference call with Ohio reporters. “These things sometimes move too slowly.” Sen. Sherrod Brown of In their letter, Brown and Ohio and Rep. Tim Ryan of Ryan wrote General Motors Sen. Rob Portman last week Niles urged the federal gov“is the primary employer in urged the Senate to pass Port- ernment Wednesday to prothe region, and the elimina- man’s bill aimed at stopping vide dollars to help re-train or tion of nearly 3,000 jobs at fentanyl and other synthetic find jobs for the 1,500 work- the plant over the last two drugs from being shipped into ers laid off this summer at years will have significant eco- the United States. The House the General Motors plant in nomic consequences for the recently passed the bill. Lordstown. northeast region of Ohio.”

In a speech on the Senate In a letter to U.S. Labor “We urge you to consider floor, Portman told his col- Secretary Alexander Acosta, Ohio’s application for these leagues it was time to act. the two Democratic lawmak- funds as quickly as possible “The president is waiting, ers asked the government to so that the workers and the pen in hand, he’s ready to quickly “process” an appli- community can begin the sign the STOP Act,” he said. cation by state government process of recovering from “Let’s not make him wait to approve federal financial these layoffs,” the lawmak-

Portman wants crackdown on shipping fentanyl

any longer.”

His speech came on the same week that Trump called on the Senate to pass the bill.

Brown, Ryan want money to help laid-off GM workers

ers wrote.

General Motors has scaled back its workforce at Lordstown, citing reduced sales of the Chevrolet Cruze. The Lordstown plant began building the Cruze in 2010.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services applied for the money which is known as the National Dislocated Worker Grant.

Funds for missing children program

Portman joined four other senators last week to introduce the Missing Children’s Assistance Act, a bill to reauthorize the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The bill extends funding for the center.

politics editor. Follow him on Twitter at @ OhioPoliticsEd. Email news tips to anthony. shoemaker@coxinc. com.

■

Statehouse bureau reporter. Follow her on Twitter at @lbischoff. Like her Laura Bischoff DDN Facebook page. Send news tips to laura.bischoff@coxinc. com.

■ political/ investigative reporter for Newscenter 7. Follow him on Twitter at @JOtteWHIO. Like his Jim Otte WHIO Facebook page.

■

Washington Bureau reporter. Follow him on Twitter at @JackTorry1.

■

Washington Bureau reporter. Follow her on Twitter at @JessicaWehrman.

■

Washington Insider. Follow him on Twitter at @JamieDupree.