Congress funds free rides to addiction treatment for homeless, low-income Americans
H.R. 8916 — CHIERS Act of 2026 · Filed by Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced May 20, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill directs HHS and HUD to jointly award grants to nonprofits, government agencies, health centers, and other eligible entities to provide free transportation services for people with substance use disorders to reach treatment or supportive services. Grants can fund vehicles, driver training, rideshare partnerships, and outreach, with priority for people experiencing homelessness, living in low-income areas, or facing transportation barriers to care.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a straightforward grant program to remove transportation barriers to substance use disorder treatment. It is a direct public-health intervention with no hidden carve-outs, no liability shields, and no private-sector immunity provisions.
What the text implies
- Grant recipients must report performance metrics on missed/cancelled appointments, creating a data infrastructure that could inform future addiction-treatment policy but also establishes federal oversight of local treatment programs.
- The definition of 'covered individual' includes people in 'communities in which transportation poses a barrier,' giving HHS/HUD discretion to expand eligibility beyond homelessness and low-income status, potentially broadening the program's scope without additional legislation.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
nonprofit organizations providing substance use disorder treatment; local and state government health agencies; federally qualified health centers