Governor Hogan testified in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for nearly two hours to urge for more federal funding and assistance to help states fight the opioid crisis.

The Baltimore Sun reports:

Hogan, who was joined at the hearing by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, also called on Congress to pass a bipartisan bill to require more sophisticated customs data on international shipments handled by the U.S. Postal Service. Requiring advanced customs data, supporters say, would help authorities identify packages containing drugs, including synthetic compounds like fentanyl.

“The majority of this deadly fentanyl is being shipped from China or is being smuggled across the border from Mexico,” Hogan said.

The article notes that Maryland received $20 million in federal funding in 2016 from the 21st Century Cures Act, which set aside $1 billion in treatment funding for states. However, no additional money was provided to states following the President’s declaration of the opioid crisis being a national health emergency in 2017.

For more information read The Baltimore Sun.