WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the House approved the conference report to accompany the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (S.524) with overwhelming bipartisan support (407-5).  As a member of the bipartisan conference committee responsible for drafting this legislative package, Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) released the following statement:

“Today, the House came together with almost unanimous support to tackle the drug epidemic plaguing our communities.  This comprehensive legislation takes a broad approach towards addressing opioid and drug abuse. This package will create programs for better treatment, training, and prevention methods to combat this epidemic.  Included in this package is legislation I authored that will help the transition of our EMT veterans into the civilian EMT community and other healthcare professions.

“I’m honored to have been appointed to this conference committee by Speaker Ryan and am deeply proud of the work we have done on behalf of the American people. I hope the President signs this legislation into law so we can bring our communities one step closer to stopping this epidemic and saving lives.”

For more on the original Veteran EMT Support Act introduced by Rep. Kinzinger, and to learn how it helps veterans and communities across the country, please see the following resources: 

Subcommittee Markup of H.R. 1818

A Good Bill for Veterans

Committee Passage of H.R. 1818

The Opioid Epidemic: How Veterans Can Help

Floor Speech in Support of H.R. 1818