WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Paul D. Tonko addressed the top Biden Administration health official today during a Health Subcommittee hearing to push for the advance of two major, bipartisan addiction treatment bills he authored. Tonko called for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to support the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act and the… Read more »
WASHINGTON—Representatives Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) and John Katko (R-NY) and Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Timothy Kaine (D-VA) today introduced the COVID-19 Mental Health Research Act, legislation that would fund research to study the effects the COVID-19 pandemic has on the mental health of Americans, with an emphasis on its impact on children and health care providers.
This… Read more »
WASHINGTON, DC—Representatives Paul D. Tonko (NY-20) and Tony Cárdenas (CA-29) introduced the Virtual Community Support Act to strengthen community-based and peer support services virtually both during and after the pandemic. Specifically, it would create a new program at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to provide training and development to increase… Read more »
WASHINGTON—As millions of American struggle with mental health and substance use disorder challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, Representatives Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) and David Trone (D-MD) along with Representatives Tom Emmer (R-MN), Doris Matsui (D-CA), and Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) announced today that they introduced the Behavioral Health Coordination and Communication Act of 2021,… Read more »
“These first-responders and essential workers have kept our communities going under challenging circumstances, and they need to know we have their backs. Our legislation delivers that assurance and puts our region and nation on a more solid footing to weather this storm.” Read more »
Washington, DC—United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Congressman Joe Kennedy III (D-MA-04), along with Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI); and Representatives Doris Matsui (D-CA-06), Paul Tonko (D-NY-20), John Katko (R-NY-24) and 68 of their Senate and House colleagues, sent a letter to Congressional leadership requesting emergency… Read more »
AMSTERDAM, NY—Congressman Paul D. Tonko introduced legislation today in the House of Representatives that would fund research to study the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has on the mental health of Americans, and more specifically, health care providers.
“Every one of us has felt the burden of this crisis. Our frontline workers have been coping with many weeks of exposure to the… Read more »
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… 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 »
