The letter, endorsed by more than a dozen groups, including Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD), Faces and Voices of Recovery, and the National Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, urged committee chair Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) and ranking minority member Rep. John Dingell (R-Mich.) to amend Section 416 of the federal Stafford Act, which establishes the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Crisis Counseling Training and Assistance Program (CCP).

CCP provides mental-health assistance to people coping with the aftermath of disasters like Hurricane Katrina and is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Section 416 of the Stafford Act currently reads: "The President is authorized to provide professional counseling services, including financial assistance to State or local agencies or private mental health organizations to provide such services or training of disaster workers, to victims of major disasters in order to relieve mental health problems caused or aggravated by such major disaster or its aftermath." The Addiction Leadership Group is requesting that lawmakers add "substance abuse" to both places where the law currently references only "mental health."

"We believe these recommendations will strengthen our collective response to future disasters by distinctly acknowledging in statute the fact that trauma is a significant risk factor in substance use," the letter stated. "Further, we believe these recommendations will improve our efforts to help children impacted by disasters and therefore prevent drug and alcohol use from becoming a problem in the first place."

NASADAD recently issued a policy brief on trauma and addiction. Some in the addiction field have criticized the federal response to addiction problems in the wake of Katrina as inadequate.

Meanwhile, a pair of recent Katrina-related bills introduced in Congress also addresses addiction issues, the Legal Action Center reported.

"The Emergency Health Care Relief Act of 2005," introduced by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), calls for treatment of addictive disorders determined to result from the hurricane and its aftermath. "The Louisiana Katrina Reconstruction Act," introduced in the House and Senate, would provide $400 million to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals' mental-health division, including $100 million earmarked for addiction assessment, early intervention, prevention, and treatment.

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