House E&C Committee advances SUPPORT Act reauthorization
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Blaire Bryant
Naomi Freel
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Key Takeaways
On April 9, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee marked up the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 2483). The bipartisan bill aims to reauthorize critical programs that target overdose prevention amid the renewal of the opioid crisis Public Health Emergency declaration. In the Senate, these reauthorizations were incorporated into a larger bipartisan package, the Bipartisan Health Care Act (S.891).
What is the SUPPORT Act
In 2018, Congress passed the Substance-Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) Act (P.L. 115-271). This comprehensive legislative package was the largest Congressional investment in overdose prevention at the time and was aimed to strengthen the country's response to the ongoing substance use crisis.
In September 2023, many policy provisions in the original package expired, requiring congressional reauthorization to continue these critical programs among a worsening overdose crisis. The House and Senate each have their own versions of the reauthorization bill, but legislation generally:
- Funds residential treatment recovery services for pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorders (SUD)
- Renews funding for prevention, treatment and recovery programs
- Supports training programs for first responders and community members to reverse overdoses
- Bolsters the SUD workforce by offering loan repayment programs
- Funds grants for community-based recovery and youth prevention efforts
- Establishes a national peer-run training and technical assistance center
- Requires expanded data collection on SUD and mental health services
- Extends DEA flexibilities for telehealth prescribing of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD)
County impacts
Counties are the backbone of our nation’s mental and behavioral health service system, administering treatment, recovery and support services through nearly 750 behavioral health authorities and over $80 billion in community health investments. The reauthorization of the SUPPORT Act will offer continued support to counties in their ongoing efforts to respond effectively to the ongoing behavioral health crisis as it contains several key funding streams to help support community-based SUD-related treatment and recovery, as well as resources to bolster the behavioral health workforce.
Advocacy
HHS renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to address national opioid crisis
On March 18, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), under the direction of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. renewed the public health emergency (PHE) declaration to address the ongoing opioid crisis, extending critical federal support for coordination, treatment expansion and research efforts. While overdose deaths have declined by 25.5 percent over the past year, synthetic opioids like fentanyl continue to drive fatalities, with approximately 150 Americans dying daily from overdoses.
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