Thanks to Sherrod’s leadership, the Senate recently passed legislation supporting grandparents who are now raising children in light of the opioid epidemic.

Sherrod co-sponsored the legislation, which is aimed at helping grandparents who have stepped up to raise grandchildren when the children’s parents are struggling with addiction or have been taken too soon by the opioid crisis.

As Ohio families continue to deal with the consequences of this public health crisis, this legislation will go a long way in ensuring that grandparents stepping into parenting roles have the resources to meet their grandchildren’s needs while still taking care of themselves.

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The Morrow County Sentinel: Senate passes bill to support grandparents raising children

Staff Report – March 26, 2018

Key points:

• Grandparents are increasingly stepping into a parenting role as parents overdose or enter recovery for addiction as a result of our country’s opioid epidemic, a news release states.

• In response to this trend, the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act would establish a task force to help identify and share information and resources to help grandparents and other relatives who are raising children as a result of the crisis devastating many communities.

• “Among the victims of the opioid epidemic are the kids whose parents are struggling with addiction or whose parents have been taken far too soon by this public health crisis,” Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown said. “We need to learn more about the challenges facing grandparents and other relatives in Ohio who have stepped up to take their grandkids into their care, so we can support them as they raise these children.”

Read more here.