National Council Statement Applauding House Passage of SUPPORT Act Reauthorization

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 5, 2025) — On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2483, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 (SUPPORT Act) by a vote of 366-57. The National Council for Mental Wellbeing, a membership organization representing over 3,200 organizations that provide essential mental health and substance use treatment and care to more than 15 million children, adults and families across our nation, applauds the House’s passage of the bill:

“Reauthorization of the SUPPORT Act is a key step toward furthering the nation’s continued efforts to curb our substance use and overdose epidemic.

“The SUPPORT Act is also critical in strengthening our nation’s workforce. This legislation would reauthorize funding for several crucial programs, including the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program, helping bolster the workforce by providing loan repayment opportunities for SUD treatment and recovery providers in the face of severe workforce shortages — as well as reauthorize critical recovery efforts through the Building Communities of Recovery program and comprehensive opioid recovery centers. 

“While the SUPPORT Act and reauthorization of its vital programs should remain a top priority, implementation of this legislation requires adequate resources for federal agencies to operate the myriad programs authorized by the bill and under their purview. As such, we also urge Congress to provide HHS and its subagencies with the funding and staffing support needed to properly implement all provisions of the bill.

“In light of Secretary Kennedy’s recent extension of the Opioid Public Health Emergency, and as the nation continues to lose hundreds of thousands of people to drug overdose every year, we must do all we can to ensure that states and providers in the community are properly equipped to identify, treat, refer and manage care for people with mental health and substance use disorder challenges. This legislation is a critical step in the right direction to ensure these goals are met.

“The National Council is grateful for Congress’ continued efforts to improve lifesaving access to treatment and recovery resources. We hope the Senate will swiftly take up and pass the SUPPORT Act, and we respectfully urge the prioritization and passage of the legislation while ensuring that funding and staff needed to efficiently implement and achieve the goals of the legislation remain intact.”