WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) voted to pass the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act, a bipartisan package of legislation to strengthen and expand more than 30 critical programs that collectively support mental health care and substance use disorder prevention, care, treatment, and recovery support services in New Jersey and communities across the nation. The package includes the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act, cosponsored by Congressman Kim, which would eliminate the burdensome X-waiver and allow more healthcare providers to prescribe buprenorphine for medication-assisted treatment of substance use disorder.
“Every day I carry with me the stories of New Jersey families who are devastated by opioid addiction and overdose deaths. They inspire my mission to end this epidemic and to push these bills through Congress,” said Congressman Kim. “I’m proud that the House has passed the MAT Act to break down barriers for doctors to prescribe effective treatment for people with substance use disorders. By passing the MAT Act and my Synthetic Opioid Danger Awareness Act, we can change the lives of people battling opioid addiction. I’m proud to support these efforts and will continue fighting until they are signed into law.”
The MAT Act would eliminate red tape for healthcare providers to prescribe buprenorphine, a proven treatment that has saved countless Americans struggling with substance use disorder but remains inaccessible for many because of outdated restrictions.
Additionally, the package includes Congressman Kim’s Synthetic Opioid Danger Awareness Act. His bill would direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct a public education campaign that raises public awareness of the dangers of synthetic opioids and explains the services available with respect to opioid treatment. The bill would also require the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a training guide and webinar for first responders and other individuals at high risk of exposure to synthetic opioids that details measures to prevent exposure.
The Synthetic Opioid Danger Awareness Act, which previously passed the House in December 2021, is endorsed by organizations on the front lines of the fight against synthetic opioids including the National Council for Behavioral Health, Shatterproof, U.S. First Responders Association, National Association of State EMS Officials, and International Association of Fire Fighters.
Congressman Kim is a member of the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force. He secured $300,000 for Burlington County’s HOPE One, $621 million for veteran opioid abuse prevention and $3.9 billion for substance abuse treatment in the FY 2022 government funding package. More information about Congressman Kim can be found on his website by clicking here.
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