Bill Text: IL HR0650 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Governor JB Pritzker and the Department of Human Services to restore the proposed FY25 budget cuts to substance abuse and treatment.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-12 - Referred to Rules Committee [HR0650 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-HR0650-Introduced.html
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, Governor JB Pritzker's proposed FY25 budget | ||||||
3 | includes a disheartening cut of close to $45 million to the | ||||||
4 | Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (SUPR) in | ||||||
5 | appropriation authority compared to FY24; and
| ||||||
6 | WHEREAS, The proposed reduction includes a decrease of $15 | ||||||
7 | million in general revenue funds (GRF), including a $3 million | ||||||
8 | cut to addiction treatment for Medicaid eligible individuals, | ||||||
9 | a $3 million cut to grants for addiction treatment to the | ||||||
10 | Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS), and a $9 | ||||||
11 | million cut to addiction treatment service grants; and
| ||||||
12 | WHEREAS, The proposed reduction in FY25 federal funds | ||||||
13 | appropriations for substance abuse disorder treatment totals | ||||||
14 | almost $33 million, including a reduction of $22 million for | ||||||
15 | addiction treatment service grants and a $15 million reduction | ||||||
16 | for addiction treatment, prevention, and related services | ||||||
17 | grants; and
| ||||||
18 | WHEREAS, The Department of Human Services (DHS) has | ||||||
19 | indicated that these reductions are due to excess | ||||||
20 | appropriations authority and that the request fully funds the | ||||||
21 | FY25 estimated liability, a liability that is the same as the | ||||||
22 | FY24 estimated expenditures; and
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | WHEREAS, Our State is facing unprecedented numbers | ||||||
2 | regarding overdoses, overdose deaths, and those living with | ||||||
3 | addiction; and
| ||||||
4 | WHEREAS, Since 2013, the Illinois Department of Public | ||||||
5 | Health (DPH) has reported a 3,341% increase in synthetic | ||||||
6 | opioid overdose deaths; and
| ||||||
7 | WHEREAS, Synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, are hundreds | ||||||
8 | to thousands of times more toxic than heroin, and heroin and | ||||||
9 | street drugs are often mixed with fentanyl; and
| ||||||
10 | WHEREAS, In 2022, there were 2.7 times more opioid deaths | ||||||
11 | than car crash deaths and 2.5 times more opioid deaths than | ||||||
12 | homicides; and
| ||||||
13 | WHEREAS, Opioid use disorder is a public health crisis in | ||||||
14 | the United States; and
| ||||||
15 | WHEREAS, The Governor's FY25 budget proposal states that | ||||||
16 | the trend in the opioid epidemic "has evolved to an overdose | ||||||
17 | crisis as the illicit drug market continues to change and the | ||||||
18 | residual impacts from COVID-19 linger"; and
| ||||||
19 | WHEREAS, The Governor's FY25 budget proposal states that |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | "At the end of 2019, prior to the pandemic, there were 16,811 | ||||||
2 | opioid related overdoses in Illinois, with 2,219, or 13.2 | ||||||
3 | percent, being fatal"; and
| ||||||
4 | WHEREAS, The Governor's FY25 budget proposal states that | ||||||
5 | "During calendar year 2022, there were 18,547 opioid-related | ||||||
6 | overdoses. That same year, Illinois recorded 3,908 overall | ||||||
7 | overdose deaths with 3,261 associated with any opioid, a | ||||||
8 | staggering 83.4 percent"; and
| ||||||
9 | WHEREAS, The Governor's FY25 budget proposal also states | ||||||
10 | that the "Illinois Department of Human Services Division of | ||||||
11 | Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (DHS/SUPR) is firmly | ||||||
12 | committed to addressing this issue through prevention, | ||||||
13 | intervention, and treatment"; and
| ||||||
14 | WHEREAS, The above statistics shared by the Governor | ||||||
15 | clearly demonstrate that Illinois is not doing enough to | ||||||
16 | address the opioid epidemic that the residents in the State | ||||||
17 | are facing; and
| ||||||
18 | WHEREAS, It is imperative for the Governor to direct DHS | ||||||
19 | to expand the size and scope of SUPR to mitigate the damage | ||||||
20 | caused by this epidemic; and
| ||||||
21 | WHEREAS, Protecting residents of the State from the opioid |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | crisis and protecting other substance abuse related services | ||||||
2 | should be prioritized over providing any additional funding | ||||||
3 | for migrants or undocumented immigrants coming to Illinois; | ||||||
4 | and
| ||||||
5 | WHEREAS, Unfortunately, the Governor's FY25 proposed | ||||||
6 | budget for SUPR establishes the same level of inadequate | ||||||
7 | treatment provided in FY24, despite what appears to be an | ||||||
8 | upward trend in opioid overdoses and deaths; therefore, be it
| ||||||
9 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
10 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
11 | we urge Governor JB Pritzker and the Department of Human | ||||||
12 | Services (DHS) to restore the proposed cuts to substance abuse | ||||||
13 | and treatment; and be it further
|