Provisions based on bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito
(R-WV) became law last week as part of a broader bill to fight opioid addiction in America.
“The president’s signing of this important legislation into law codifies the federal government’s response in addressing the opioid epidemic,” said Sen. Capito, an original cosponsor of the Youth Opioid Use Treatment Help (YOUTH) Act of 2017, S. 2055, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) on Nov. 1, 2017.
S. 2055, the U.S. Senate version of the same named H.R. 3382 introduced in July 2017, would amend the Public Health Service Act to expand the grant program for substance abuse treatment services for children and adolescents to cover young adults, among other provisions, according to the congressional record summary.
Portions of the proposal now are included in the comprehensive, bipartisan Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act, H.R. 6, which was signed into law on Oct. 24.
“I’m proud the YOUTH Act is a part of what is now law and for that we finally got this bipartisan focus on young adults struggling with addiction across the finish line,” Sen. Capito said.
The included provisions, she said, expand an existing youth substance use disorder program to cover young adults and help support the identification of best practices for overcoming barriers to medication assisted treatment (MAT) for young people.
“The effects of opioid use are especially tragic for young people with their whole lives ahead of them,” Sen. Peters said. “Although this epidemic has already taken away countless graduations, weddings, and grandchildren from affected families, I am pleased that this new law with help provide greater access to lifesaving medication-assisted treatment and put adolescents and young adults on the path to recovery.”
The legislation also authorizes three-year grants to youth-focused entities for carrying out substance use disorder treatment, prevention and recovery support services, according to the lawmakers, who last month also authored a related amendment in the Labor, Health and Human Services spending bill.
Their amendment, according to a statement, directs the administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to submit a report to Congress within 180 days on agency activities related to MAT.