Washington (July 26, 2024) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Primary Health, and Retirement Security, and Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), and Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) today announced legislation to promote employment opportunities for workers in recovery and provide support to communities impacted by widespread substance use. The Workforce Opportunities for Communities in Recovery Act would codify, strengthen, and expand pilot grant funding for community partnerships that promote employment for those recovering from substance use, help workers transition to occupations that support those affected by substance use, and provide supportive services to program participants, such as substance use treatment, peer support services, and mentorship opportunities.
“Workforce development opportunities are crucial for workers and communities to succeed in recovering from the worst impacts of the opioid epidemic. This legislation would build on existing successes, including a grant in New Bedford, Massachusetts, that provided formerly incarcerated people impacted by substance use with training in high-wage, unionized maritime industry jobs. In communities wading through the wreckage of this epidemic and the addiction crisis, the people running the programs supported by this legislation are building solutions that will save lives. Congress must support this good work. I am proud to work alongside Congresswoman Jayapal and Congressman Larsen to get the job done,” said Senator Markey.
“Substance use impacts communities across our country, and we should be doing everything we can to ensure individuals have the resources they need to recover and opportunities for economic stability,” said Congresswoman Jayapal. “I’m proud to lead this legislation which will fund grants for local organizations to help those affected by substance abuse gain employment while also addressing our nation’s shortage of behavioral health providers. By both finding work for those in need and increasing the number of health care specialists available to them, we can end the substance use crisis and improve lives across the country.”
“The opioid epidemic has devastated Northwest Washington,” said Representative Larsen. “Congress must invest in workforce development to break down barriers to jobs for people in recovery and to help address the nationwide behavioral health workforce shortage. I look forward to working with Senator Markey, Representative Jayapal and my constituents to regain momentum in the fight against the opioid epidemic and save lives.”
“Local leaders have long been on the front lines of our nation’s substance use crisis. In communities large and small, urban, and rural, the economic and personal toll of pervasive substance use challenges has been enormous,” said David?M. Sander, Ph.D., President of the National League of Cities. “This bill would help ensure local communities have access to important workforce and economic development tools to support their residents who have been impacted by substance use disorders and strengthen the economic competitiveness of our nation’s cities, towns and villages.”
“Substance use disorder has become a far too common barrier to employment,” said Cole Angley, Massachusetts Workforce Association’s Executive Director. “The Workforce Opportunities for Communities in Recovery Act filed by Sen. Markey builds upon a successful model and puts the necessary tools in the hands of workforce development professionals to help address these barriers with impacted job-seekers across Massachusetts and the nation.”
The legislation would reauthorize, strengthen, and expand a pilot grant program first authorized in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and later extended through the 2018 SUPPORT Act. The pilot grants have funded community partnerships that promote employment for individuals affected by substance use and those interested in professions that address the impacts of substance use across the country. The Workforce Opportunities for Communities in Recovery Act would authorize $187.5 million to continue this life-saving and community-strengthening work.
These community partnerships would be comprised of state or local workforce development boards and one or more of the following: treatment providers, employers, education providers, Tribal organizations, legal services organizations, or other designated community-based organizations. They would leverage grant funding to implement innovative approaches to support workers and to provide wraparound services to its participants.
###
