During the hearing, two provisions I authored passed as part of the reauthorization of the SUPPORT Act which is a large package containing a variety of measures to improve mental health and substance abuse treatment options throughout the country.
The Combating Illicit Xylazine Act will help stop the illicit use of the highly dangerous sedative causing fatal overdoses nationwide, xylazine. My goal is to save lives and to make sure law enforcement has the tools it needs to respond appropriately to those who are making these deadly concoctions killing so many of our neighbors. At the same time, we must ensure that those veterinarians who are using xylazine for legitimate purposes have the ability to continue doing so. Our legislation strikes that right balance.
And, the Ensuring Medicaid Continuity for Children in Foster Care Act of 2023 will fix a technical glitch in federal statute created by passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 which threatens to keep the most at-risk children from being able to access appropriate mental and behavioral health services covered by Medicaid. Most children who are placed in the foster care system have experienced significant trauma. We need to prevent exacerbation of their situation by ensuring continuity of care in a setting that meets their individual needs. I am committed to ensuring foster care kids have continued access to quality trauma-informed treatment in a supportive environment that enables them to heal, without losing access to Medicaid services. I am proud to work across the aisle to fix this unintended bureaucratic roadblock and am committed to working in a bipartisan fashion to ensure children get the appropriate health care they need and deserve.
Gus Bilirakis.
