Luján Applauds the Passage of Health and Education Priorities Out of Committee

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) applauded the passage of multiple bipartisan pieces of his legislation to advance public health and his priorities to improve education research during the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) markup. This package includes Senator Lujan’s legislation: the Pregnant and Postpartum Women Treatment Reauthorization Act, the Strengthening Communities of Recovery Act and the Peer Support Services Center of Excellence Act, both of which foster peer support networks, and the Kid PROOF pilot program to prevent youth suicide and overdose. Senator Luján also secured additional language to the Advancing Research in Education Act, which reauthorizes education research programs at the U.S. Department of Education: to increase participation of Tribes, Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-funded schools, and Minority-Serving Institutions to ensure greater focus on research on educator shortages, compensation, and retention in public schools. 

“I was honored to join my colleagues on the HELP committee in passing my legislative priorities and amendments to address the substance use disorder epidemic and improve education research in New Mexico and across the country,” said Senator Luján. “Substance use disorder, overdose, and suicide continue to plague New Mexico. I am proud that my bills that passed yesterday address youth suicide by creating a pilot program for health care providers to get lockboxes to secure any potential means of suicide. It also provides vital resources for peer support training and pregnant and postpartum women treatment.  I’m committed to addressing these pressing issues and improving the well-being of our communities, and these bills will support and protect New Mexican women, children, and families. ”

Luján continued, “I’m also proud to have worked on the Advancing Research in Education Act to include several of my priorities to ensure education research is driven by the diverse communities that it serves, and that this research is more accessible and relevant to educators so they can work to improve student outcomes. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation into law.”

Background:

The Kid PROOF Pilot Program: This pilot program would allow health care providers to access and distribute lethal means safety supplies (lockboxes or safes) to parents of children at risk of suicide or overdose. In recent years, youth suicide and overdose have increased dramatically across the United States.

The Strengthening Communities of Recovery Act: This legislation supports peer support services by reauthorizing grant programs that allow organizations to develop and enhance peer recovery and general recovery support while fostering collaboration with other harm reduction entities. As the U.S. faces a severe behavioral health crisis, exacerbated by an epidemic of substance use disorders (SUD), this legislation aims to address recovery and rehabilitation efforts. 

Pregnant and Postpartum Women (PPW) Treatment Reauthorization Act: Drug overdose deaths, involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl, reached record highs in 2020 and 2021, with pregnant women experiencing more overdoses than ever before. The PPW Treatment Reauthorization Act addresses this health crisis in the following ways:

• Reauthorizes grant funding to PPW programs aim to ensure access to services for low-income women and combat maternal health disparities; and
• Supports public and non-profit entities that offer PPW programs.

Peer Support Services Center of Excellence Act: This bipartisan legislation fosters the creation of peer support networks and provides them with the resources and training they need to succeed by:

• Reauthorizing and modernizing the National Peer-Run Training and Technical Assistance Center for Addiction Recovery Support that Senators Collins and Shaheen created in 2018;
• Adding professional development of the peer support specialist workforce to the list of functions for the Center; and
• Creating a pilot program for a regional center  of excellence that could assist the National Center and tailor its work to the needs of a particular region.

The amended legislation makes several important changes to the Advancing Research in Education Act by: 

• Increasing consultation with Tribes and coordination with Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian Organizations;
• Expanding education research in populations of students on which there is limited research;
• Expanding access for and inclusion of BIE-funded schools;
• Diversifying the education research pipeline and increasing participation of Minority-Serving Institutions;
• Ensuring American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian education experts are represented on the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) Board membership;
• Directing the IES to conduct research on teacher shortages, compensation, and teacher and school leader recruitment and retention;
• Ensuring that the IES researches student broadband access and the role of Artificial Intelligence in education;
• Expands the breadth of Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) grants from K-12 to early childhood education through career, modeled off of New Mexico’s recent SLDS award; and
• Codifying the What Works Clearinghouse and makes it more practical for teachers to access and implement its research products into their classrooms.