Latest News

Washington, DC– Congressman Brett Guthrie’s (KY-02) bill to combat the opioid crisis, the Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act (H.R. 5327), was today signed into law by President Donald J. Trump as part of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6). It is Congressman Guthrie’s third bill to be signed into law this month.

“Combatting our nation’s opioid crisis has been a top priority for Congress and for President Trump,” said Guthrie, who serves as vice chair of the Health Subcommittee and chairman of the Workforce Development Subcommittee. “This is a crisis that affects everyone, and sadly, I have heard from Kentuckians in every corner of the Second District who have lost loved ones to opioid use disorder. After hearing from folks around the country, particularly in states like Kentucky who have been hit hardest by this epidemic, Republicans and Democrats came together with comprehensive legislation that will help people recover from opioid use disorder and rebuild their lives.”

Guthrie’s Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act originally passed in the House in June by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 383 to 13. This bill would establish a grant program for treatment facilities to offer all FDA-approved treatments for opioid use disorder, as well as to provide residential rehabilitation, recovery housing, and community-based and peer recovery support services.

“Currently, patients suffering from opioid use disorder are often limited to their local health care provider’s preferred method of treatment,” said Guthrie. “But anyone can fall victim to opioid use disorder, and each patient might respond differently to various methods of treatment. The Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act will help patients get specific, tailored treatment for opioid use disorder.”

The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act includes the Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act along with over fifty different pieces of legislation to address the opioid epidemic from four main angles: prevention, treatment and recovery, protecting communities, and fighting the illicit fentanyl trade. In addition to the Comprehensive Opioid Recover Centers Act, Guthrie also worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to include legislation to increase access to Medicaid funding for substance use disorder treatment and to help pregnant women and new mothers receive treatment for opioid use disorder.

The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act passed in the House on June 22 by a vote of 396 to 4. After the Senate passed a similar package of legislation in September, the House again passed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act with final language negotiated by the House and Senate on September 28 with a vote of 393 to 8. After being passed again by the Senate, it was signed into law today by President Trump.

Earlier this month, President Trump also signed Guthrie’s Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act and his bill to reauthorize the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) into law.

###