WASHINGTON, DC — Today, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) 2.0 to increase the funding authorization levels for the Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act (CARA) programs enacted in 2016 and put in place additional policy reforms to help combat the opioid epidemic that has worsened during the coronavirus pandemic. CARA was a bipartisan, national effort designed to ensure that federal resources were devoted to evidence-based education, treatment and recovery programs that work. In FY 2020, CARA programs were funded at $658 million.  CARA 2.0 builds on this effort by increasing the funding authorization levels and laying out new policy reforms to strengthen the federal government’s response to this crisis. The CARA 2.0 bill text is here, section-by-section here, and a summary here.

“In recent years we have made real progress in fighting the scourge of addiction thanks to resources from the bipartisan CARA law, in addition to other bipartisan efforts in Congress. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges and we are now seeing a heartbreaking surge in overdose deaths. That is why we must redouble our efforts to combat addiction and help those who are suffering during this crisis,” said Senator Portman.  “In the new Congress, we have a unique opportunity to work together in a bipartisan way and I believe that CARA 2.0 can help us make a real difference in combating this epidemic. I want to thank Senator Whitehouse and my bipartisan colleagues for their leadership and partnership on this important national effort.”

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Published online: 12/10/2020