HR 4531 United States House · 118th Congress

Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act

This bill reauthorizes and extends funding for programs addressing substance use disorders and opioid addiction, including residential treatment for pregnant and postpartum women, first responder training, and community recovery initiatives. It increases funding levels for these programs, adds xylazine to Schedule III of controlled substances, and requires a study on remote monitoring for patients prescribed opioids. The bill also expands Medicaid coverage requirements for medication-assisted treatment and mandates reporting on mental health condition data alongside substance use disorder data, directly affecting individuals with substance use disorders, healthcare providers, and state and tribal governments.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jul 2023
Committee Review
Dec 2023
House Passage
Dec 2023
Senate Passage
President
Introduced Jul 11, 2023 Last action Dec 13, 2023
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced in House Engrossed in House · 14 edits · Dec 12, 2023
MAJOR
The Engrossed version of HR 4531 adds several new provisions not present in the Introduced version, most notably a permanent lift of the Medicaid institutional medical facilities (IMD) exclusion for substance use disorder treatment, expansion of the prohibition on Medicaid termination due to incarceration from juveniles to all individuals and pregnant women, and a new requirement for prescriber training accreditation that broadens eligible accrediting bodies. The bill also adds new sections on prenatal/postnatal health funding, youth prevention and recovery reauthorization, wastewater surveillance authorization, and a new Title IV for budget offsets.
SCOPE

New Section 304 makes permanent the Medicaid State Plan Amendment option allowing states to cover substance use disorder treatment in institutions for mental diseases (IMDs), removing the prior 2019-2023 sunset. It adds requirements for evidence-based placement criteria, utilization management, a compliance review process, and a one-time assessment of treatment availability, with additional requirements effective October 1, 2025.

New Section 105 reauthorizes the youth prevention and recovery program (SUPPORT Act section 7102(c)(9)) for FY2024-2028.

Section 301 makes the Medicaid requirement for medication-assisted treatment coverage permanent by removing the September 30, 2025 end date, and changes state certification from a one-time pre-period requirement to a recurring requirement at least every 5 years.

Opioid overdose reversal agent provisions (Section 118) were narrowed: the term changed from 'agent' to 'drug,' scope limited to drugs approved under section 505 of the FD&C Act for emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose, and the update deadline changed from end of calendar year 2023 to one year after enactment.

ELIGIBILITY

New Section 305 expands the prohibition on Medicaid enrollment termination due to incarceration from only eligible juveniles to all individuals and women during pregnancy (plus 60 days postpartum). The same expansion is applied to CHIP. Effective January 1, 2025.

REQUIREMENT

New Section 205 expands the list of organizations whose continuing education qualifies for the controlled substance prescriber training requirement, adding podiatric medicine, pharmacy, optometry, dentistry, psychiatric nursing, nursing, and family medicine accrediting bodies.

Section 303 expands antipsychotic medication monitoring from children only to include adults over 18, individuals receiving home and community-based services, and individuals in institutional care settings (nursing facilities, ICFs), effective 24 months after enactment.

FISCAL

New Section 101 authorizes $4.25 million per year (FY2024-2028) for prenatal and postnatal health activities under PHS Act section 317L(d).

Overdose prevention grant funding (Section 103) increased from $496 million to $505.579 million per year for FY2024-2028, and a new subsection authorizes use of funds for wastewater surveillance to identify controlled substance use trends.

Treatment, recovery, and workforce support grants (Section 116) increased from $5 million to $12 million per year. Transportation services added as an allowable use capped at 5 percent of funds, with a new restriction that no other uses are authorized.

A new Title IV (Offsets) was added with Section 401 on promoting value in Medicaid managed care, indicating the bill now includes budget offset provisions.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'other concurrent substance use disorders' (Section 119) was narrowed from a broad category including polydrug use to specifically alcohol use disorders co-occurring with opioid or stimulant misuse as a primary disorder.

ENFORCEMENT

Xylazine provisions (Section 203) were significantly revised: animal drug exclusions were simplified and narrowed, ARCOS tracking was added for xylazine, the second congressional report deadline was moved from 4 years to 3 years after enactment, and new provisions require consultation with non-Federal experts and access to official data.

TIMELINE

The trauma-informed practices task force (Section 115) now has a specific sunset date of September 30, 2026, rather than the prior indefinite continuation.

Floor votes · House Dec 12, 2023

How they voted

38637
Passed · 10 other
Total votes 433
Dec 12, 2023
D Democratic213
196 Yea 11 Nay 6
92% Yea
I Independent1
1 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican219
189 Yea 26 Nay 4
86% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
15
Key actions
3
Committee
4
Amendments
4
Dec 13, 2023
Committee
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
upper
Dec 12, 2023
Introduced
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 386 - 37 (Roll no. 715). (text: 12/11/2023 CR H6790-6794)
lower
Dec 12, 2023
Lower · Passed
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 386 - 37 (Roll no. 715). (text: 12/11/2023 CR H6790-6794)
lower
Dec 11, 2023
Introduced
Mr. Guthrie moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
lower
Sep 28, 2023
Introduced
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 29 - 3.
lower
Sep 28, 2023
Lower · Passed
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
lower
Jul 19, 2023
Introduced
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 49 - 0.
lower
Jul 19, 2023
Lower · Passed
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
lower
Jul 11, 2023
Committee
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
lower
Jul 11, 2023
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
1 primary · 66 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Brett Guthrie
Brett Guthrie
RRepublican
KY
2
Co
Photo of Andy Barr
Andy Barr
RRepublican
KY
6
Co
Photo of Angie Craig
Angie Craig
DDemocratic
MN
2
Co
Photo of Ann M. Kuster
Ann M. Kuster
DDemocratic
NH
2
Co
Photo of August Pfluger
August Pfluger
RRepublican
TX
11
Co
Photo of Bill Johnson
Bill Johnson
RRepublican
OH
6
Co
Photo of Brad Finstad
Brad Finstad
RRepublican
MN
1
Co
Photo of Brian K. Fitzpatrick
Brian K. Fitzpatrick
RRepublican
PA
1
Co
Photo of Brittany Pettersen
Brittany Pettersen
DDemocratic
CO
7
Co
Photo of Carol D. Miller
Carol D. Miller
RRepublican
WV
1
Co
Photo of Claudia Tenney
Claudia Tenney
RRepublican
NY
24