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HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Governor JB Pritzker's proposed FY25 budget
3includes a disheartening cut of close to $45 million to the
4Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (SUPR) in
5appropriation authority compared to FY24; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The proposed reduction includes a decrease of $15
7million in general revenue funds (GRF), including a $3 million
8cut to addiction treatment for Medicaid eligible individuals,
9a $3 million cut to grants for addiction treatment to the
10Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS), and a $9
11million cut to addiction treatment service grants; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The proposed reduction in FY25 federal funds
13appropriations for substance abuse disorder treatment totals
14almost $33 million, including a reduction of $22 million for
15addiction treatment service grants and a $15 million reduction
16for addiction treatment, prevention, and related services
17grants; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The Department of Human Services (DHS) has
19indicated that these reductions are due to excess
20appropriations authority and that the request fully funds the
21FY25 estimated liability, a liability that is the same as the
22FY24 estimated expenditures; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Our State is facing unprecedented numbers
2regarding overdoses, overdose deaths, and those living with
3addiction; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Since 2013, the Illinois Department of Public
5Health (DPH) has reported a 3,341% increase in synthetic
6opioid overdose deaths; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, are hundreds
8to thousands of times more toxic than heroin, and heroin and
9street drugs are often mixed with fentanyl; and
 
10    WHEREAS, In 2022, there were 2.7 times more opioid deaths
11than car crash deaths and 2.5 times more opioid deaths than
12homicides; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Opioid use disorder is a public health crisis in
14the United States; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Governor's FY25 budget proposal states that
16the trend in the opioid epidemic "has evolved to an overdose
17crisis as the illicit drug market continues to change and the
18residual impacts from COVID-19 linger"; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The Governor's FY25 budget proposal states that

 

 

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1"At the end of 2019, prior to the pandemic, there were 16,811
2opioid related overdoses in Illinois, with 2,219, or 13.2
3percent, being fatal"; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The Governor's FY25 budget proposal states that
5"During calendar year 2022, there were 18,547 opioid-related
6overdoses. That same year, Illinois recorded 3,908 overall
7overdose deaths with 3,261 associated with any opioid, a
8staggering 83.4 percent"; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The Governor's FY25 budget proposal also states
10that the "Illinois Department of Human Services Division of
11Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (DHS/SUPR) is firmly
12committed to addressing this issue through prevention,
13intervention, and treatment"; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The above statistics shared by the Governor
15clearly demonstrate that Illinois is not doing enough to
16address the opioid epidemic that the residents in the State
17are facing; and
 
18    WHEREAS, It is imperative for the Governor to direct DHS
19to expand the size and scope of SUPR to mitigate the damage
20caused by this epidemic; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Protecting residents of the State from the opioid

 

 

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1crisis and protecting other substance abuse related services
2should be prioritized over providing any additional funding
3for migrants or undocumented immigrants coming to Illinois;
4and
 
5    WHEREAS, Unfortunately, the Governor's FY25 proposed
6budget for SUPR establishes the same level of inadequate
7treatment provided in FY24, despite what appears to be an
8upward trend in opioid overdoses and deaths; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
10HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
11we urge Governor JB Pritzker and the Department of Human
12Services (DHS) to restore the proposed cuts to substance abuse
13and treatment; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
15provided to Governor Pritzker and the DHS Secretary Dulce
16Quintaro.