Murray’s bipartisan work with Senator Burr leads to robust mental health and substance use disorder package in end-of-year bill
Omnibus includes bipartisan steps on fentanyl, youth and maternal mental health, strengthening the new 988 Lifeline, and more
Murray: “Our communities need action—and that’s exactly what this package delivers.”
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), released the following statement on Senate passage of an omnibus which includes a package of mental health and substance use disorder policies she worked to include with HELP Ranking Member Senator Richard Burr (R-NC).
“I have been pushing for progress to address substance use disorders and mental health all year, because I know how devastating these crises have been for our communities. I’ve heard from too many heartbroken parents who lost a child to suicide or drug use, too many first responders who are feeling overwhelmed by the sharp rise in overdoses, and too many kids struggling with depression, stress, and anxiety. The rise of fentanyl and the pain of the COVID pandemic have only made these problems worse—in Washington state and all across our country.
“Our communities need action—and that’s exactly what this package delivers. Senator Burr and I worked in a bipartisan way to strengthen the new 988 suicide hotline, make it easier for people to get substance use disorder treatment, help states tackle the opioid crisis head on, support mental health care for kids, and much more. These steps represent desperately needed progress for those on the frontlines of our nation’s mental health and substance use disorder crises. I look forward to the House passing, and President Biden signing, this bill as soon as possible, and then I am going to keep pushing to get more support to local communities—because there is no time to lose and so much more we need to do to help families.”
Senator Murray announced earlier this year she was working with Senator Burr and their HELP colleagues to put together legislation to address the nation’s mental health and substance use disorder crisis, and challenges like the rise of fentanyl and the sharp uptick in youth mental health emergencies. The omnibus the Senate passed today includes mental health and substance use disorder provisions Senator Murray championed with her colleagues to:
- Strengthen the new 988 lifeline;
- Support screening and treatment for maternal health and substance use disorders;
- Build and maintain the mental health and substance use disorder workforce;
- Understand and address mental health challenges kids are dealing with;
- Bolster suicide prevention work and states’ opioid crisis response efforts;
- Increase access to substance use disorder treatment and overdose reversal medication;
- Provide better support to Tribes’ efforts to address mental health and substance use disorders;
- and more.
At the same time, as Chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee (LHHS), Senator Murray secured significant funding increases in the FY23 omnibus appropriations bill to implement these provisions and help communities address the mental health and substance use disorder crises, including:
- $501.6 million—a nearly $400 million increase—for the Suicide Prevention Lifeline to successfully transition to 988;
- An additional $370 million more for mental health treatment; and
- $345 million more to address opioid abuse, a total of $5 billion in all.
A section-by-section of the health policies Senator Murray worked to pass, including the mental health and substance use disorder package, is available HERE.
Full text of the FY23 Omnibus Appropriations bill is available HERE.
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