July 23, 2022
On Wednesday, June 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022 (H.R.7666) with overwhelming, near-unanimous support. The Overdose Prevention Initiative applauds the passage of the bill and its Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act Amendment, which will remove federal barriers to medications for opioid use disorder, increase access to lifesaving treatment for thousands of people with addiction, and reduce stigma.
We thank Reps. Paul Tonko, Mike Turner, Antonio Delgado, and Anthony Gonzalez for their sponsorship of the MAT Act and their diligence in ensuring the policy’s inclusion in H.R.7666. We also thank the House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone and Ranking Member Cathy McMorris-Rodgers for their leadership in passing the substantial Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022.
“The policy behind the MAT Act is popular because it is common sense,” said Libby Jones, Project Director of the Overdose Prevention Initiative.
The Overdose Prevention Initiative is one of more than 400 organizations supporting the policy behind the MAT Act Amendment. This Congress, the MAT Act was among the most cosponsored bills in the House (H.R.1384), and its companion bill in the Senate (S.455) has bipartisan support. As the Senate creates a companion bill to H.R.7666, we will urge the Chair Patty Murray and Ranking Member Richard Burr of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee to take up and pass the MAT Act Amendment.
In 2021, the United States lost nearly 108,000 people to drug overdose — an unfathomable loss. Each person who died from an overdose last year left behind family members, friends, and communities. Comprehensive support for substance use disorder is within reach, and by advancing federal policies that address the disparities, inequities, and stigma in the substance use disorder treatment system. By passing a companion bill that includes the MAT Act Amendment, the Senate can prevent future deaths and help people with substance use disorder find recovery.
Established in 2021, the Overdose Prevention Initiative at the Global Health Advocacy Incubator advances policy solutions that save lives and end the U.S. overdose crisis. The Initiative is dedicated to reducing inequities and disparities in substance use disorder care and expanding access to harm reduction services and substance use disorder treatment.
The Overdose Prevention Initiative is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies and is a partnership between the Global Health Advocacy Incubator and the Tobacco Free Kids Action Fund.
For questions, please contact Ben Orton-Vipond at bvipond@advocacyincubator.org.