December 14, 2023
Addiction Policy Forum applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for their passage of the SUPPORT Reauthorization Act (H.R. 4531) this week by a vote of 386 to 37. Led by Congressman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Congresswoman Ann Kuster (D-NH), the bill now moves to the Senate for consideration. This legislation continues and expands critical funding and services for millions of Americans impacted by addiction, including the following provisions:
Programs to support the monitoring and education of infections commonly associated with illicit drug use;
Prescription drug monitoring programs;
Overdose prevention programs;
Residential treatment recovery services for pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorder;
A national peer-run training and technical assistance center for addiction recovery support;
Programs for first responders and members of other key community sectors to reverse overdoses;
Technical assistance and support to recovery community organizations and peer support networks;
Comprehensive centers that provide a full spectrum of treatment and recovery support services for individuals with substance use disorder;
Greater opportunities for people in recovery to reenter the workforce;
Allowing states to use certain grants toward fentanyl or xylazine test strips where legal;
A loan repayment program for the substance use disorder treatment workforce;
Reauthorizing the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program to recruit and educate students on the behavioral and mental health fields;
Extending the requirement for state Medicaid plans to provide coverage for Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), which has been shown to reduce opioid use, overdose deaths, criminal activity, infectious disease transmission, and other adverse health and behavioral consequences; and
Requiring any reference to opioid overdose reversal agents in Department of Health and Human Services grant programs to refer to all opioid overdose reversal agents approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Addiction Policy Forum and 55 other national, state, and local organizations from across the country submitted a letter of support for this crucial bill, demonstrating the widespread support and collaboration for services and programs that provide a comprehensive response to the substance use disorder and overdose crisis.