Brown teams with WV senator to address shortage

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, secured a provision in a bipartisan Senate package, the Opioid Crisis Response Act, to address the workforce shortage created by the addiction crisis.

The provision is based on legislation the senators introduced earlier this month called the Collectively Achieving Recovery and Employment (CARE) Act. The bipartisan package is expected to pass out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Tuesday.

“Any comprehensive approach to tackling the opioid epidemic must address the workforce shortage created by the crisis,” Brown said in a news release. “Sen. Capito and I will continue working together to advance and build on this important provision to help both Ohio businesses and individuals in recovery.”

Capito said the provision will be a boost to helping the region tackle the crisis.

“We must fight this terrible opioid epidemic from all fronts, and that includes helping those who have struggled with addiction successfully rejoin the workforce,” she said in a news release. “I was glad to work with Senator Brown on securing this provision in the Opioid Crisis Response Act, which will provide the support needed to help those who have struggled with addiction get back on their feet, as well as fill other important workforce needs in West Virginia and across the country.”

The Opioid Crisis Response Act is a wide-ranging, bipartisan package aimed at stemming the tide of the nationwide opioid crisis. The bill includes a provision based on

Brown and Capito’s CARE Act that targets federal workforce training grants to address the workforce shortages and skill gaps caused by the opioid epidemic.