"Stable employment is not just a path to financial security for workers and families. Earning a paycheck from a job is also linked to personal happiness and even physical health," McConnell says. (Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM)
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says that legislation aimed at helping opioid addicts get treatment, housing and job opportunities is a top priority.
The CAREER Act would increase federal funding for transitional housing available to those who have recently undergone drug rehab. Setting up recovering addicts with stable housing is a key part of helping them get permanent housing and employment.
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As is often the case with federal programs, much of the money allocated by the CAREER Act will be doled out to states, which would be able to spend it on a wide range of local programs aimed at fulfilling the goals of the legislation.
The bill will also encourage private employers to collaborate with substance abuse organizations to connect those recovering from drug use with jobs.
"Stable employment is not just a path to financial security for workers and families. Earning a paycheck from a job is also linked to personal happiness and even physical health. We see firsthand in Kentucky the need for the structure and support that come with a job to help keep people who have battled addiction in their past from falling back into the cycle of drug abuse," said McConnell in a statement.
In a tight labor market where employers are struggling to recruit and retain qualified workers due to rising labor costs, the opioid epidemic has been an additional hurdle that businesses in certain parts of the country say has limited the supply of quality employees.
"Our main competitor in Germany can get things done more quickly because they have a better labor pool," Michael J. Sherwin, CEO of Columbiana Boiler in Youngstown, Ohio, told the New York Times last year. "We are always looking for people and have standard ads at all times, but at least 25 percent fail the drug tests."
Both Democratic and Republican leaders in Washington have said that the federal government needs to do more to address drug addiction. However, there is no shortage of debate about the details and the amount of money needed.
The most recent federal budget deal passed in March included $4.6 billion for opioid treatment efforts. Drug treatment advocates said that that is not nearly enough. The Kaiser Family Foundation, for instance, compared it to the more than $7 billion in federal funds that are spent annually on research and treatment for HIV/AIDS, which kills fewer Americans each year than opioid overdoses.
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