The House heads into a marathon opioid markup Wednesday, a day after the Senate health committee approved bipartisan legislation of its own addressing the crisis. Both chambers are eager to advance bills to combat the crisis under an aggressive timeline, with an eye toward demonstrating action before the midterms on an issue that affects voters representing most demographics and districts.

Among the most ambitious bills is legislation by Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee ranking Democrat Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland that would address the crisis similar to the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act. Humphreys singled out the legislation as among those most likely to have a direct impact on the epidemic.

Leana Wen, the health commissioner for the city of Baltimore, is also pushing for this proposal. “There are no silver bullets here,” Wen wrote in an op-ed with Evan Behrle, special adviser for opioid policy at the Baltimore City Health Department. “But this is, finally, a proposal that stands a chance of making a difference,” referring to the Warren-Cummings bill.

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