WASHINGTON – Representatives Paul Tonko (NY-20) and Michael Turner (OH-10) have formally introduced bipartisan legislation empowering states to expand access to addiction treatment through Medicaid for individuals up to 30 days before their release from jail or prison. The bill, H.R. 1329: the Medicaid Reentry Act, responds to alarming evidence that individuals reentering society after incarceration are 129 times more likely than the general population to die of a drug overdose during the first ... Read more

“Last year more than 64,000 Americans died of a drug overdose, a number that continues to rise without a serious response from President Trump or his administration. In the absence of meaningful leadership from the White House, Congress can and must do more to stop this growing threat. I am grateful to the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force for their endorsement of my bill to expand access to treatment and services for countless Americans who are suffering from addiction and struggling to get the care they need to survive.” Read more

“When a person is going through a mental health or substance use crisis, getting immediate and effective treatment can be a matter of life and death. Today, many states today lack a reliable system for keeping track of which treatment facilities have space available, meaning vulnerable patients are left waiting while overburdened healthcare workers call each area hospital, one by one, in the hope that they can find an appropriate placement. Even at its best, this is an inefficient and time-consuming process. At its worst, the results are tragic. By streamlining the process of finding the appropriate treatment placement for patients in crisis, this program promises to save lives, increase system efficiency, and provide a higher standard of care for those who urgently need it.” - Rep. Paul Tonko Read more

“Opioid addiction is a deadly and painful epidemic that continues to spread across our nation. Thousands more of our family members, friends and neighbors fall victim to this disease every year, while just a fraction are finding their way to treatment. We must do more. This legislation addresses the epidemic head-on by empowering the healthcare professionals at the front lines of this crisis, locking in previous treatment expansions and granting more specialist nurses the ability to prescribe the medication-assisted treatment that we know gives patients their best chance to recover.” - Rep. Paul Tonko Read more

In 2016, Congressman Paul Tonko (NY-20) built on previous years of success in working across the aisle to pass legislation that supports Capital Region job creators, makes our water safer, combats the opioid crisis, provides relief to those living with mental illness, enhances public health, protects consumers, and sets the nation on its clearest path yet to overcoming Alzheimer’s disease. Below is an abbreviated list of bills and other policy measures Tonko introduced and/or shepherded through ... Read more

WASHINGTON – Congressman Paul Tonko released the following statement after voting to pass the 21st Century CURES Act, legislation that supports lifesaving medical research, battles the opioid epidemic nationwide, and comprehensive mental health reform that Tonko has worked to advance in recent years. The bill also includes the Medicaid DOC Act, which Tonko introduced with Western New York Republican Chris Collins in February. The CURES Act has now been sent to the White House for President Barac... Read more

Congressman Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) today praised a move by the White House to raise the limit of patients whom physicians can treat with buprenorphine, a drug used to treat those struggling with opioid addiction, from 100 to 275. Bipartisan legislation recently introduced by Tonko and Rep. Larry Buschon (R-IN) passed the House in May, which would have increased this patient cap from 100 to 250. “The Obama Administration, specifically through the Department of Health and Human Services, has signale... Read more

"... it is a good first step in making the improvements desperately needed in the way our nation looks at mental health...," said Tonko. Read more

Bearing witness to the success stories of those who battle substance use drives me to push for policies that will expand the opportunity to recover to everyone Read more

Addiction is something that touches all of our lives at some point, whether personally or through family and friends, and it's time to rethink our approach to providing assistance to those struggling through some of the most challenging times imaginable. Read more