Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27) has all the more reason to appreciate the Christmas season as her Summer Barrow Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Act was recently passed into law.
The bill, named after a 2020 overdose victim, was introduced by Salazar and Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA). As part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, the Summer Barrow Act will reauthorize the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration funding.
Specifically, much of the bill centers on opioid abuse, such as access to emergency overdose treatment and first responder training, wider access to recovery programs, and alternatives to opioids in the emergency room. Other portions of the Act address substance abuse among homeless populations and pregnant/post-partum women, diverting those suffering from mental illnesses from the criminal justice system towards community services.
"The passage of this bill is a major victory in addressing the needs of American communities when it comes substance abuse treatment and mental health," said Rep. Salazar, adding that she is "proud to see this bipartisan legislation pass Congress and help deliver critical resources to those in need."
Additionally, Salazar says this is the fourth bill she has sponsored or introduced that passed or became law. Her first victory is a COVID economic relief bill for Florida. Salazar's second is placing sanctions on the Ortega regime in Nicaragua. Finally, Salazar championed a bill streamlining the process for small businesses to obtain federal contracts.
Recently, Florida AG Ashley Moody recently wrote that the opioid crisis is at a critical level, requiring the re-implementation of a "drug czar" to the President's cabinet. In fact, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL-19) has gone so far as to say a government shutdown is preferable to allowing the fentanyl problem, enabled by the crisis at the southern border, to continue.
