December 29, 2022

Credit: The Garrett County Republican

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last Friday, Congressman David Trone (MD-06) voted to pass a government funding package which is aiming 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,” said Congressman Trone last Friday. “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.

“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.

Today, it is reported that over 50 million Americans suffer from mental illness and over 20 million Americans struggle with substance use disorder.

In addition, the legislation includes nearly $30 million in Community Project Funding secured by Rep. Trone that will directly benefit Maryland’s Sixth District:

$4,800,000 for the repair of the Fayette Street Bridge on behalf of the City of Cumberland
$4,000,000 for the Fisher Avenue Streetscape Project for the Town of Poolesville
$4,000,000 for a clubhouse replacement for the Boys & Girls Club of Washington County
$4,000,000 for the East Street Trail Liberty Road Bridge Crossing for the City of Frederick
$4,000,000 for a STEM workforce development program at Mount St. Mary’s University
$1,875,000 for the refurbishment of Barton Hose Company No 1
$1,315,843 for refurbishments and upgrades for the City of Frederick’s Permanent Supportive Housing, Food Distribution Center, & Soup Kitchen
$1,000,000 for an outpatient mental health clinic for the Sheppard Pratt Health System
$1,000,000 for renovations and refurbishments of a health center for the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center
$942,303 for building restoration and preservation for the Pleasant View Historical Association
$750,000 for campus expansion for the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics – Hagerstown

$698,848 for the purchase of equipment for the Garrett County Government
$698,083 for the purchase of clinical equipment for the Frederick County Government
$650,000 to purchase a new electronic health record system for the Garrett Regional Medical Center

$531,718 for the construction of a new childcare center for the City of Frostburg
The legislation focuses on helping families and communities across the United States. Specifically, the bill: