James introduces bipartisan bill to reauthorize funding for opioid addiction treatment

Washington — U.S. Rep. John James, R-Farmington Hills, introduced a bipartisan bill Wednesday to re-authorize federal funding for addiction treatment support centers.

The centers provide technical assistance for community organizations working on addiction treatment, including training on identifying substance abuse and delivering recovery resources; providing translation services; helping with data collection; and evaluating the effectiveness of services.

The program was first put in place in 2018 through a sweeping bill aimed at easing the opioid epidemic.

James' bill — co-sponsored by California Democrat Rep. Tony Cárdenas — would approve the program for another five years and double its funding to $2 million for each fiscal year year 2024 through 2028.

Opioid addiction has "left a trail of destruction, heartbreak, and broken families in its wake," James said in a statement. "Americans caught in the trap of addiction need our help and support."

The legislation is "vital to further securing the necessary funding, resources, and infrastructure we need to fight the crisis of over-prescription and abuse of opioids in the U.S.," he added.

Opioid prescriptions have slowly decreased in recent years, according to data provided by the State of Michigan, but deaths have remained consistent, with peaks in the springs of 2020 and 2021. Nearly 2,800 people have died from opioid overdose in the state in the last year.

The program also supports the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's national helpline, a free referral and information service available for people struggling with addiction.

It has been operated out of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, according to SAMHSA records, in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin, the University of Teas, and the National Council for Behavioral Health.

James represents the 10th Congressional District in southern Macomb County and Rochester and Rochester Hills in Oakland County.

rbeggin@detroitnews.com

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