Capito, Ohio senator introduce bill to address opioid-caused workforce shortage

WASHINGTON — Legislation was introduced into the U.S. Senate Wednesday that aims to address a workforce shortage that has been caused by the opioid epidemic.

The bill, the Collectively Achieving Recovery and Employment Act, or CARE Act, was introduced to the senate by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.

The bill would combine various grant programs of the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services and create a six-year pilot project to combine job training and addiction recovery services, Capito said in a news release.

The CARE Act would allow counties and tribes to apply for grants directly if they have a qualified local workforce organization and nonprofit addiction treatment organization willing to participate, Capito said. The act would also direct the two departments to establish reporting criteria.

Capito said employers are having trouble finding workers who can pass drug tests and those who struggle with addiction have trouble finding a job.

"For individuals on the road to recovery, reentering the workforce can be a real challenge. At the same time, many employers are having difficulty filling open positions in industries that are critical to growing our economy," Capito said. "This bipartisan legislation will help those who have struggled with addiction get good-paying jobs as they work to turn their lives around and also fill important workforce needs.

"I look forward to continuing to work together with Senator Brown to help these men and women get back on their feet and build a brighter future for themselves."

Brown echoed this sentiment, saying the two issues are prevalent in Ohio as well.

"I hear the same thing from Mayors all across Ohio: Employers can’t fill openings because workers can’t pass drug tests, and Ohioans struggling with addiction can’t find a job to help them get back on their feet," Brown said. "We know addiction treatment and workforce training programs can be successful separately, but this crisis requires them to work together."

Capito said the act builds on and expands the National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker Demonstration Grant pilot program. Those grants are planned to help workers impacted by the opioid crisis acquire new skills and help train drug addiction treatment providers and other professions that address problems related to opioids.