Peoria Standard

Darin LaHood, a representative from Illinois' 16th Congressional District, said he voted for the SUPPORT Act of 2025 to enhance access to treatment, recovery, and prevention services for communities in his district affected by the opioid crisis.

"To help those affected by the opioid crisis and substance use disorders, Congress must continue to invest and bolster addiction treatment services," said LaHood, U.S. Representative of Illinois's 16th congressional district (R), according to Facebook. "I voted for the SUPPORT Act of 2025 to embrace prevention and strengthen #IL16's response to the opioid crisis by expanding access to key public health programs on prevention, treatment, and recovery support services."

According to the congressional webpage for the bill, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 continues and updates a program focused on substance use disorders and mental health. It authorizes grants and programs from fiscal year 2026 through 2030. The bill maintains support for emergency personnel to obtain drugs or devices to treat non-opioid overdoses and adds new requirements for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to protect the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline from cyber threats. It also directs HHS to follow specific procedures when reviewing and revising the scheduling of approved products containing buprenorphine and naloxone under the Controlled Substances Act.

Screenshot of U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood's June 4 Facebook post | U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood's Facebook page

The original Substance Abuse Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump in October 2018, according to a memorandum from the Illinois Health and Hospital Association. It allowed temporary use of federal Medicaid matching funds for up to 30 days of substance use disorder treatment per year, starting in fiscal year 2019 through 2023. The law also expanded a provision of the Affordable Care Act to provide Medicaid coverage to former foster youth between the ages of 18 and 26.

The Illinois Department of Public Health’s Opioid Action Plan indicates more than 3,000 opioid-related deaths in Illinois in 2021, alongside numerous nonfatal overdoses that resulted in emergency room visits and hospitalizations.

Congressman LaHood has represented Illinois since 2015, initially serving in the 18th Congressional District until redistricting led him to represent the people of the 16th District. His political experience includes four years in the state senate from 2011-2015. He served as a state and federal prosecutor for over nine years and worked for the US Department of Justice as an Assistant US Attorney in Las Vegas, Nevada. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loras College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois-Chicago John Marshall Law School. According to his official biography, he resides with his wife in Peoria.