Trone Votes to Pass FY23 Omnibus Appropriations Funding Package
Credit: WCBC
Congressman David Trone (MD-06) voted to pass a government funding package to bolster local economies, help working families with the cost of living, create American jobs, and provide crucial help for those suffering from mental health and addiction. The FY23 funding bill is now headed to President Biden’s desk to become law.
“Today, the House passed crucial funding for the country and delivered millions of much-needed dollars directly to Maryland communities. One of Congress’ most basic, yet vital, responsibilities is to fund government services and programs that represent the will of the American people, and I’m glad we finally got the job done.” said Congressman Trone. “Our country is one that helps hardworking families. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I remain committed to securing the resources that Marylanders deserve.”
Eight of Trone’s bills from the House-passed Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act were also included in the funding bill, including:
H.R.1385, Behavioral Health Coordination and Communication Act, will create an interagency office to coordinate the disjointed federal efforts and foster constant communication among all relevant agencies and departments in order to focus the federal government’s approach to mental health and substance use disorders.
H.R.2376, Excellence in Recovery Housing Act, will develop new guidelines for best practices for recovery housing, provide grants to states to implement those guidelines, create an interagency working group to coordinate the government’s work on recovery housing, and commission a study to review the availability and quality of recovery housing.
H.R.2379, State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act of 2021, will authorize $1.75 billion annually for five years, for a total of $8.75 billion, to fund programs and resources for states and tribes for prevention, harm reduction (naloxone distribution), treatment (residential and outpatient), and recovery (housing and peer support groups)
Elements of H.R.4244, STOP Stigma Act, will require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue guidance for renaming grant programs with names that contain stigmatizing terms such as abuse, addict, or alcoholic.
H.R.6636, Due Process Continuity of Care Act, will amend the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy (MIEP) to allow for Medicaid coverage of health care services for juvenile pre-trial detainees.
Co-led: H.R.7483, Cost of Mental Illness Act of 2022, will direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study on the direct and indirect costs of serious mental illness for nongovernmental entities, the Federal Government, and State, local, and Tribal governments, and for other purposes.
Co-led: H.R. 2067, Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act, would implement a one-time, 8-hour training on identifying, treating, and managing patients with substance use disorders for all controlled medication prescribers.
Co-led: H.R. 6279, Opioid Treatment Access Act, would modernize and improve the process of obtaining methadone to treat opioid use disorder, allowing pharmacies to dispense methadone so that patients can receive methadone at more convenient locations.
