Washington, D.C. — On the first day of National Recovery Month, the co-chairs of the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force, Reps. Annie Kuster (D-NH), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), David Trone (D-MD), and Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) introduced a resolution honoring National Recovery Month and released the following statement to honor those in recovery:

“On the first day of National Recovery Month, we are coming together to honor and celebrate the 21 million Americans who are in recovery across the nation, as well as those who currently have substance use disorder and are seeking treatment services.

“This year has proven one of the most difficult for those with substance use disorder and those in recovery. With a record-breaking 93,000 overdose deaths in 2020, it’s clear that we need more resources and support to address the addiction epidemic and fight the stigma associated with this devastating disease.

“There is no vaccine for the addiction epidemic, which is why this year we are increasing our efforts to bring awareness to this crisis by taking a series of bipartisan actions. This month, we will introduce a resolution honoring National Recovery Month and host a day of action, when we will encourage Members of Congress to wear purple and fight the stigma associated with addiction.

“Addiction doesn’t discriminate by party, geography, or the color of your skin. It has ravaged every community across America, and it’s time we come together as a nation to end this addiction epidemic once and for all.” 

The co-chairs were joined by fellow Task Force members in introducing the National Recovery Month Resolution: Chris Pappas (D-NH), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Cindy Axne (D-IA), David Joyce (R-OH), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Tim Ryan (D-OH), Susan Wild (D-PA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Scott Peters (D-CA), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Karen Bass (D-CA), and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA).

You can see a copy of the resolution here.

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The Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force merges Trone’s Freshmen Working Group on Addiction and the Bipartisan Opioid Task Force, which was co-chaired by Reps. Kuster and Fitzpatrick in the 116th Congress and founded by Rep. Kuster in 2015.

The purpose of the new Task Force is to combine efforts to make the most progress possible on addiction and mental health in the 117th Congress. The forthcoming 2021 Legislative Agenda will address these dual public health crises that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The group hosts regular meetings with stakeholders, attends site visits, and creates policies that will save lives.

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