Alert

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) today touted Senate passage of the bipartisan conference report on the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. Blunt cosponsored the Senate-passed measure and, as Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, has led efforts to prioritize resources to combat the opioid epidemic.

“The opioid epidemic claims the lives of 78 Americans every day,” Blunt said. “In 2014, we lost more than 1,000 Missourians to drug overdoses. This is a public health crisis that is touching every corner of the nation – from major cities to rural communities and suburbs in between – and today we have taken a critical step toward helping more Americans get the help they need.”

The conference report passed the House last week by a vote of 407-5. It was approved by the Senate on an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 92-2, sending the measure to the president’s desk.

Blunt continued, “In Missouri, 72 percent of the individuals who went through our state’s opioid treatment program subsequently tested negative for illicit drugs. We know that recovery is possible, but the problem with addiction is that only about 10 percent of individuals battling the disease receive treatment. This agreement expands access to evidence-based treatment and recovery services, and focuses on proven strategies that will strengthen prevention programs and support effective law enforcement efforts. I hope Democrats will look to this measure as an example of the progress that can be made when we work in a bipartisan way to address Americans’ top priorities.”

As Chairman of the Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, Blunt secured a 93 percent increase in this year’s bipartisan funding bill for programs directly targeting the opioid epidemic, including increased resources for medication assisted treatment, the Prescription Drug Overdose State Program, and treatment programs through the 9,000 community health center delivery sites nationwide. The bill also includes robust funding for the Substance Abuse and Prevention Treatment Block Grant, which provides flexible funding to states to respond to their specific needs. Total funding for opioid-specific programs in the Labor-HHS bill has been increased by 542 percent over the past two years under Blunt’s chairmanship. Over the same time, the committee has eliminated 36 ineffective or duplicative programs topping $1.25 billion. 

Blunt has also introduced the Expand Excellence In Mental Health Act, which would increase access to certified community behavioral health clinics that offer programs to treat substance use disorders. Under the measure, the 24 states receiving mental health planning grants through the Excellence in Mental Health Act, which was signed into law in 2014, would be able to expand access to behavioral health services and substance abuse treatment at the same time.

Earlier this year, Blunt spoke on the Senate floor to underscore the need to pass CARA and expand access to behavioral health services.