WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sens. Dave McCormick and John Fetterman introduced bipartisan legislation this week to expand federal workforce funding for addiction prevention, treatment and recovery services as Pennsylvania seeks to sustain a decline in fentanyl deaths.
The Workforce Recovery and Resilience Act would revise the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to give state and local workforce boards greater flexibility to recruit and train workers in behavioral health and substance use disorder services.
The Pennsylvania senators framed the proposal as a response to staffing shortages that can limit access to treatment even as demand remains high in communities affected by opioids and fentanyl.
“If we’re going to help more people recover, we need enough skilled workers to provide that care,” McCormick, R-Pa., stated. “This bipartisan bill gives communities more tools to train that workforce so more people can get the help they need.”
Fetterman, D-Pa., argued that federal workforce development funding should be available to support treatment, recovery and related services in communities facing the effects of substance use disorders.
“The need for treatment, recovery, and other support services is real,” Fetterman stated. The legislation would “open up federal workforce development investments to help workers and families fight back against this epidemic.”
The bill would direct the U.S. Department of Labor to evaluate and publish evidence-based workforce strategies for communities responding to substance use disorders.
It would also expand National Dislocated Worker Grants to support employment and training programs tied to addiction prevention, treatment, mental health care and pain management when demand exceeds available state and local resources.
Eligibility would extend to displaced workers, people experiencing long-term unemployment and individuals who are unemployed or significantly underemployed because of widespread substance use in their communities.
The proposal would also cover people working or seeking jobs in health care occupations involved in substance use disorder prevention and treatment.
The senators cited preliminary data indicating fentanyl deaths in Pennsylvania fell to approximately 1,500 in 2025 after reaching about 4,000 annually from 2020 through 2023. The release did not identify the source of those figures.
Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House by Reps. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill.
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