Foster Introduces Two Bills to Help Americans Facing Opioid Use Disorder

Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) introduced two pieces of legislation to help Americans facing opioid use disorder (OUD) access effective treatments: the Expanding Opportunities for Recovery Act and the Examining Opioid Treatment Infrastructure Act.

The Expanding Opportunities for Recovery Act would empower the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment to give new grants to states, allowing each state to expand its capacity for OUD prevention and treatment where it is most needed.

The Examining Opioid Treatment Infrastructure Act would direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to evaluate and report on outpatient and inpatient treatment availability and scarcity across the country. This information will prove critical as Congress tries to best allocate resources to help Americans struggling with OUD.

"The opioid epidemic has devastated families and communities in Illinois and across the nation for far too long," said Foster. "Thanks to the success of federally funded medical research, we now have highly effective treatments available. I'm proud to introduce this legislation to make sure everyone who needs these cutting-edge treatments is able to access them."

A copy of the Expanding Opportunities for Recovery Act is available here, and a copy of the Examining Opioid Treatment Infrastructure Act is available here.

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