Senator Shelley Moore Capito Receives 2025 Legislator of the Year Award

The 2025 Addiction Policy Forum Legislators of the Year Awarded to Senator Shelley Moore Capito

The Legislator of the Year Award is granted annually to Members of Congress who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to improving our nation’s response to the addiction crisis.

Shelley Moore Capito was first elected to represent West Virginia in the U.S. Senate in 2014, becoming the first female Senator in the state’s history. Prior to her election to the Senate, she served 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing West Virginia’s Second Congressional District.

Throughout her career, Senator Capito has been a steadfast leader and key champion in advancing substance use disorder and criminal justice reform policy. In a state that has been particularly hard-hit by the opioid epidemic, her legislative efforts reflect both local priorities and broader national trends.

During the current Congressional session (119th), Senator Capito was instrumental in leading critical bills that would make our communities safer through reducing recidivism and preventing the spread of fentanyl. Senator Capito was the lead sponsor of the Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2025, which extends vital programs that support reentry services nationwide, including substance use disorder treatment. Through her efforts, the bill was ultimately included as an amendment to the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act. Senator Capito is also an original co-sponsor of the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Enhancement Act (S.767), which would provide the HIDTA program with greater resources for fentanyl prevention, seizure, and interdiction. 

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee—and Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS)—Senator Capito continues to advocate for vital funding for initiatives that support comprehensive mental health and substance use disorder services, strengthen the workforce, and expand research across the nation. Through the Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Capito works to ensure continued funding is provided for addiction-related programs, grants, and agencies, including the State Opioid Response Grant (SOR), Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and programs established through the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), and the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act. 

Read more about Senator Capito