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Responding to a drug crisis that has contributed to more American deaths than car crashes, the Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a broad drug treatment and prevention bill, the largest of its kind since a law in 2008 that mandated insurance coverage for addiction treatment. “This is big and significant,” said Marvin Ventrell, the executive director of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers. “It had legs and interest because of the opioid crisis that has hit Middle America.” The bill, which passed 94 to 1, is a boon for Republican senators in swing states, which have been hit particularly hard by the drug crisis. Senators Rob Portman of Ohio and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, both Republicans, spent weeks promoting the measure on the floor after seeing opioid-related crime and addiction soar in their states. (Steinhauer, 3/10)

The legislation authorizes $725 million for federal grants but does not allocate any actual funds, which would have to be approved as part of legislation to fund federal agencies for the 2017 fiscal year. Senate Republicans last week blocked an effort by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., to add $600 million in emergency money to the bill. "Let's not pretend that there is new money for this," [Sen. Sheldon] Whitehouse said. "The sooner we can get this funded, the sooner we can save lives." (Kelly, 3/10)

Drug abuse has been in the spotlight this political season, with presidential candidates recalling personal stories about relatives and friends who struggled with addiction and lawmakers from states dealing with the crisis highlighting their efforts to address the problem legislatively. Many of the Republican senators who have most vocally backed the bill face tough re-election battles. (Demirjian, 3/10)

The Senate bill authorizes funding for state and local governments, as well as schools and nonprofits, to prevent and treat prescription drug and heroin abuse. It also would expand the availability of naloxone, a drug that can counter the effects of an overdose, and it makes special provisions to help prisoners, veterans, pregnant women and mothers fighting addiction. The lone senator to oppose the bill was Sen. Ben Sasse (R., Neb.). “I’m not convinced fighting addiction—as opposed to stopping drug traffickers—is best addressed at the federal level,” Mr. Sasse said in a statement. (O'Keeffe, 3/10)

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced new spending proposals Thursday that would boost funding for K-12 education and drug addiction treatment and pay for new construction at five of the state’s universities. The $77 million plan is the latest addition to the $42 billion budget Hogan (R) pitched to the state legislature in January. The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee is expected to approve the original budget with minor tweaks before next week, sending it to the full Senate for ­consideration. (Hicks, 3/10)

Senate approval of a bill to fight the nation’s opioid epidemic is still likely to leave states like Connecticut on the front lines of the crisis -- and to leave them short of all the help they need to prevent the destroyed lives that result from the abuse of pain killers and heroin. (Radelat, 3/10)