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Shaheen, Hassan Reintroduce Legislation to Bolster Resources for Substance Use Disorder Prevention and Treatment

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) reintroduced the Turn the Tide Act to help combat the substance use disorder (SUD) crisis by authorizing $64 billion nationally in treatment and prevention programs over the next 10 years. In 2021, over 75 percent of the nearly 107,000 drug overdose deaths involved an opioid. At a time when New Hampshire—and the country—is still grappling with the substance use epidemic, this legislation proposes flexible treatment funding to providers, prioritizes prevention – especially for youth – and addresses workforce challenges and shortages that often make accessing care difficult.  

“As I’ve traveled across New Hampshire, I’ve heard heartbreaking and harrowing stories about how families have been ripped apart because of the substance use disorder crisis – and I know there’s more we can and must do to bring an end to this epidemic,” said Senator Shaheen. “Right now, workforce shortages and insufficient funding for prevention and treatment programs are making it difficult for those seeking help to get it. The Turn the Tide Act is a comprehensive, long-term investment plan in our national response to the substance use disorder crisis that prioritizes the local organizations, both in New Hampshire and across the country, that are on the frontlines.” 

“The fentanyl epidemic continues to devastate our state, and we must not let up in our efforts to fight it, especially as the nature of this crisis evolves,” said Senator Hassan. “The Turn the Tide Act would provide to our communities additional resources to treat addiction, grow our addiction workforce, and strengthen prevention and recovery efforts. We all need to continue to work together to push for this and other vital measures to stem the fentanyl crisis.”   

Below is a brief summary of the Turn the Tide Act: 

  • Authorizes increases in State Opioid Response (SOR) treatment grants by $5.5 billion per year over the next five years and provides needed flexibility so that providers can treat patients who have non-opioid related substance use disorders, such as methamphetamine or other substances.  
  • Expands the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Recovery Housing Program and ensures states receive more consistent funding from it to support patients in recovery. 
  • Establishes a new grant program modeled off of the successful Manchester Adverse Childhood Emergency Response Team program to assist children who have been exposed to trauma, often as a result of substance use disorders among family members or friends.  
  • Requires that private insurers and Medicare Part D plans cover Naloxone without any co-pay or deductible requirements and prohibits insurers from setting up administrative barriers, like prior authorization, that delay start of medication-assisted treatment. 

As Chair of the Commerce, Justice and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Shaheen has led efforts in the Senate to address SUD and has secured federal resources for SUD prevention, treatment and recovery – especially for organizations and initiatives in New Hampshire. In the FY 2023 government funding legislation, Shaheen secured $608 million in federal grants, including $35 million for the COPS Anti-Heroin Task Force program, to help communities and first responders across the nation to respond to the substance use disorder crisis. Shaheen also included in the FY 2023 government funding bill language to authorize increased funding for the SOR grant program. Last year, Shaheen delivered opening remarks at the White House’s National Recovery Month Summit, hosted by the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).? 

Shaheen and Hassan also led efforts to prevent a steep cliff in State Opioid Response grant funding, securing a commitment to protect New Hampshire funding from Health and Human Services Secretary Becerra. Since 2018, Senators Shaheen and Hassan have secured approximately $140 million from these grants for New Hampshire to combat the opioid epidemic in New Hampshire. The program also includes a flexibility provision included in FY 2022 funding legislation to allow spending for the treatment of meth and cocaine addiction. 

Senator Hassan has also worked on additional bipartisan efforts to combat the opioid epidemic. Senator Hassan has worked on bipartisan efforts to combat the opioid epidemic and continues to work to reauthorize the SUPPORT Act – a landmark investment into substance misuse prevention, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement efforts that Senator Hassan worked to pass into law in 2018. Recently, Senator Hassan introduced bipartisan legislation to permanently expand coverage for medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorder under Medicaid as well as bipartisan legislation that expands access to short-term inpatient treatment at addiction treatment facilities, both of which could also be part of the SUPPORT Act reauthorization. Senator Hassan successfully passed into law her bipartisan Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act, to increase the number of medical professionals authorized to prescribe the gold standard of opioid treatment. Senator Hassan also worked with her colleagues to pass into law the bipartisan INTERDICT Act, which has provided critical tools to Customs and Border Protection to help detect and intercept fentanyl and other illegal synthetic opioids. 

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