Washington, DC –Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) has cosponsored H.R. 5736, the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery through Effective Employment and Reentry (CAREER) Act. This bill would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a five-year pilot program to provide grant funding for initiatives that expand workforce participation amongst recovering addicts.
“We must be vigilant in the ongoing fight against the devastating opioid epidemic that is sweeping our country and our region,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “As a Member of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, I am pleased to cosponsor this bill that will provide support to victims of the opioid epidemic by expanding the availability of resources to help them get back on their feet and reenter the workforce. I will continue to work in Congress on solutions to help families that have been hurt by the opioid epidemic.”
Background:
In March of 2018, a study conducted by the American Action Forum found that conditions related to the opioid epidemic kept over 900 thousand individuals out of the workforce in 2015.
This bill would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a five-year pilot program to provide grant funding for initiatives that expand workforce participation amongst recovering addicts. H.R. 5736 would authorize $200 million in funding for these grants for each of the five years that the program is active.
H.R. 5736 would also provide an additional $25 million for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. These funds would be used to administer a competitive grant funding program for expanding transitional housing services for recovering addicts. This bill would also amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to allow for 5% of a state’s WIOA funds to be used for providing expanded career services to recovering addicts that are transitioning back into the workforce.
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