In just two terms, David has had eight pieces of legislation signed into law. Each day, they’re making a difference in the fight against opioids, our efforts to improve mental health, reform our criminal justice system, and more.
David’s bills:
H.R. 4073, Expanding Educational Opportunities for Justice-Impacted Communities Act
H.R. 4859, Protecting Older Americans from Social Isolation Act of 2019
H.R. 5909, Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Act
H.R. 6843, Food and Nutrition Provider Emergency Support Act of 2020
H.R. 4981, to amend the Fentanyl Sanctions Act, to modify certain deadlines relating to the Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking
H.R. 5545, REMOTE Act
H.R. 4116, Finish the ADHS Act
H.R. 3070, COPS Counseling Act
“I know that the issues we face as Americans rise above partisanship and politics. That’s why I strive to garner bipartisan support for every bill I introduce. To date, 80% of the bills I’ve authored have been cosponsored by members of both parties.”
-David Trone
Tackling the opioid epidemic
David’s experience with the opioid epidemic is personal — after losing his nephew Ian to an opioid overdose, he recognized that there was much more that Congress could do to combat this crisis tearing apart our communities. In his first term, he formed the Bipartisan Freshman Working Group on Addiction. Together, they introduced dozens of pieces of legislation to help solve the problem. During his second term, recognizing the strong ties between mental health and substance use, David helped form the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force, aimed at researching these ongoing crises and proposing solutions. In recognition of his commitment to this issue, Speaker Pelosi appointed David as co-Chair of the National Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking. Together with other members, he traveled to the southern border, met with federal law enforcement officials, spent hundreds of hours meeting with researchers and experts, and published a report on their findings and proposals to stop the flow of deadly drugs into the country.
In June 2022, the House passed H.R. 7666, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act. This historic, bipartisan, comprehensive legislation included over 30 pieces of legislation aimed at improving mental health and tackling substance use. Six of those bills were authored and led by David, including:
H.R.1385, Behavioral Health Coordination and Communication Act
H.R.2376, Excellence in Recovery Housing Act
H.R.2379, State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act of 2021
H.R.7483, Cost of Mental Illness Act of 2022
Elements of H.R.4244, STOP Stigma Act
H.R.6636, the Due Process Continuity of Care Act
Making mental health care a reality
The pandemic brought mental health to the forefront for many of us. Depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide skyrocketed among adults and children. But long before the pandemic, lack of access to quality care was all too common. And the pandemic made that problem even worse. Throughout COVID-19, David pushed to expand access to tele-health and tele-mental health, making it easier for Americans even in rural areas to get the care they need. He also recognized the need for better mental health services in schools — leading him to introduce H.R. 3549, the Comprehensive Mental Health in Schools Pilot Program Act. And, in response to the tragic suicide of local police officer T.J. Bomba, David introduced the COPS Counseling Act, providing confidential counseling to first responders in need. Last year, President Biden signed the bill into law.
Reforming the criminal justice system
David believes in second chances. That’s why he’s worked to reform our criminal justice system to make it work for every American. For too long, the system has been anything but just — disproportionately impacting communities of color. Prior to coming to Congress, he made it a point to lead by example, hiring hundreds of justice-impacted individuals at his company. And he worked with the ACLU to establish the Trone Center for Justice and Equality. In Washington, he’s worked to end unjust practices like cash bail and mandatory minimums. He’s passed two bills aimed at providing second chances to those who have served their time in jail and offering resources to ensure they are successful when they return to our communities.
Making constituent service a top priority
For too long, the people of Western Maryland didn’t have a representative that listened. That’s why David chose to be the first representative in the district’s history to open four district offices — in Gaithersburg, Frederick, Hagerstown, and Cumberland. Taking lessons he learned in business, David made sure that customer — or constituent — service remained priority number one. In 2021 alone, he and his team answered 15,907 requests for help and over 80,000 messages. Over $48 million in unemployment insurance benefits were returned to Marylanders, and nearly $1.6 billion in relief funding was awarded to businesses that were struggling.
Investing money directly into the Sixth District
In his role on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, David has worked diligently to secure federal funding for important projects across the district. In 2021, he helped secure $371,603,404 in federal grant funding for the district as well as nearly $7 million in direct funding for projects in all five counties, including:
$883,574 for broadband expansion in Garrett County
$1,000,000 for a broadband career pilot training program in Montgomery County
$850,000 for a behavioral health Crisis Stabilization Center in Frederick County
$475,000 for behavioral health crisis treatment services in Washington County
$325,000 for telehealth expansion for EveryMind in Montgomery County
$534,977 for flood mitigation in Frederick County
$1,500,000 for the Asian American Center of Frederick
$500,000 for vacant and blighted property transformation in Washington County
$500,000 for South Germantown Recreation Park in Montgomery County
$187,500 for facilities at Allegany College in Allegany County