{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://bacon.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2899", "Bacon, Valadao, Bonamici, Lead Effort to Provide Greater Access to Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Services", "2026-06-05", "2026", "2026-06", "Republican", "House", "NE", "Don Bacon", "B001298", "bacon.house.gov", "bacon", "https://bacon.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Rep. Don Bacon (NE-02) joined Reps. David Valadao (CA-22), and Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) to reintroduce the Connections to Health Infrastructure and Emergency Recovery Services (CHIERS) Act. This bipartisan bill would create a grant program to provide transportation for people in need of overdose prevention services, substance use disorder treatment, detoxification, and other related supportive services.\n\n\u201cEveryone deserves a second chance,\u201d said Rep. Bacon. \u201cThe CHIERS Act will improve access to developing services that provide individuals with transportation to and from substance use disorder treatments or support services. This program will help thousands of citizens get the help they need, and I\u2019m grateful to work with Rep. Bonamici on this important effort.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn the Central Valley, we\u2019ve seen firsthand the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic,\u201d said Rep. Valadao. \u201cToo often, people seeking treatment in our communities face long travel times, high transportation costs, and difficulty receiving timely care. We should be doing everything we can to make it easier for people suffering from substance use disorder to get the help they need and break the cycle of addiction. I\u2019m proud to help introduce the bipartisan CHIERS Act to remove barriers to treatment and expand access to timely, life-saving care.\u201d\n\n\u201cPeople shouldn\u2019t be held back from getting the care they need because they do not have a way to get there,\u201d said Rep. Bonamici. \u201cFor years people in Portland benefitted from the CHIERS van, which helped transport people in need to sobering centers. I\u2019m working with my bipartisan colleagues to expand on this model and make rides to treatment available to more people across the country who are intoxicated or at risk.\u201d\n\nThe CHIERS Act would:\n\nCreate a grant program with funding that could be used to train staff, purchase vehicles, and contract with ridesharing services to cover transportation.\n\nDirect the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to award grants to eligible entities, including community health centers; Continuum of Care Program participants; opioid recovery centers; state, Tribal, and local governments; and nonprofit organizations.\n\nBackground:\n\nIndividuals seeking Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) often must travel long distances to reach care, relying on friends or family members for transportation or forgoing treatment altogether due to cost and accessibility challenges. With only eight substance treatment centers serving the three-county region, many residents struggle to receive timely, life-saving services. Expanding grant support for affordable transportation options can help connect residents to critical treatment services\u2014reducing barriers to recovery and improving public health outcomes.\n\nRead the full bill here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-06-06T06:16:30Z", "2026-06-06T06:17:47Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://bacon.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2899"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.210619229823351, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}