Congressman Young SUPPORTS Bill to Combat Opioid Crisis

Press Release

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on H.R. 6, the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act. H.R. 6 includes more than 50 bills that passed the House earlier this week and last week that are designed to fight the opioid crisis. Alaska Congressman Don Young joined his colleagues to pass this bill with overwhelming support and issued the following statement:

"Combatting the opioid crisis is something this Congress is actively working on and I'm proud to support this important work," said Congressman Young. "In Alaska, substance abuse is prevalent in all of our communities and a devastating reality for so many families. This bill prioritizes recovery and treatment programs, increases prevention efforts and protects our communities by equipping law enforcement with the resources they need. Ending the opioid crisis requires local engagement and support to work within our communities to identify and address the prevalence of opioids."

The underlying text of H.R. 6 includes several Medicaid, Medicare, and public health reforms to help combat the opioid crisis. H.R. 6 passed out of the House with overwhelming bipartisan support by a vote of 396-14. This legislative package will help in the overall efforts to address the opioid crisis by advancing treatment and recovery initiatives, improving prevention, protecting our communities, and bolstering our efforts to eliminate deadly illicit synthetic drugs like fentanyl.

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