《POINTS法案》将设立首个专门用于赌博成瘾治疗的联邦基金
作者：伊丽莎白·埃尔金德
福克斯新闻
发布时间：2026年3月10日 美国东部时间下午3:00
印第安纳州共和党众议员艾琳·胡钦接受福克斯新闻数字版采访时谈到了她的新两党法案，该法案旨在帮助人们获得赌博成瘾治疗，并分享了她自己家庭对抗赌博成瘾的经历。
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印第安纳州共和党众议员艾琳·胡钦上大学时，她的父亲因赌博成瘾“欠下数千美元债务”。她表示，父亲的赌博成瘾是由治疗帕金森病诊断所开的药物引发的。
如今，这位印第安纳州共和党人正致力于确保其他美国家庭能在面临同样经济问题前，为亲人寻求帮助。
胡钦告诉福克斯新闻数字版：“《POINTS法案》旨在帮助正在与赌博成瘾作斗争的人们，通过利用现有的消费税收入向各州和辖区（包括全国的印第安部落）发放赠款，用于开展预防和治疗赌博成瘾的教育与培训。”
她的两党法案《为有治疗和支持需求的个人提供机会法案》（简称《POINTS法案》）是国会罕见的两党合作倡议，由俄勒冈州民主党众议员安德里亚·萨利纳斯共同牵头。
胡钦表示，鉴于自己的家庭经历——她称这“并不独特”——她对这个问题充满热情。
“不幸的是，全国各地许多家庭都有类似经历，尽管并非都因帕金森病，而是因其他疾病或普遍的成瘾问题。如果不加以治疗，它会摧毁家庭并毁掉未来。”她说。
胡钦称，她的父亲55岁时被诊断出帕金森病，此后不久便出现赌博成瘾。
“我妈妈会讲，他们以前度假常去西部，在拉斯维加斯机场很难把他带过去，因为一经过就有赌场。”胡钦说。
她告诉福克斯新闻数字版，父亲的医生对药物为何导致赌博成瘾知之甚少，但暗示她的家庭花了多年时间才在经济上恢复。
“我妈妈告诉我，她还清了第二笔抵押贷款，花了大约10到15年才付清，总额约9.1万美元，那是我父亲患病期间在服用这种药物后欠下的赌博债务。”胡钦说，“所以我们希望其他家庭能获得必要的支持体系和资源，以治疗赌博成瘾。”
她的立法得到了爱荷华州共和党众议员玛丽内特·米勒-米克斯和路易斯安那州民主党众议员特洛伊·卡特的支持，将设立首个专门用于解决赌博成瘾问题的联邦基金。
她还指出，该法案不会通过对美国人新增税收来资助。
“这是用现有的消费税收入以赠款形式分配给遵守《POINTS法案》原则的州，这些资源不仅用于医疗专业人员，还用于家庭如何获取赌博成瘾治疗的支持。”胡钦说。
她和萨利纳斯都认为，鉴于体育博彩通过应用程序和其他便捷方式的迅猛扩张，这项立法现在至关重要。
萨利纳斯告诉福克斯新闻数字版：“随着体育博彩和在线赌博在全国范围内不断扩张，我们有责任确保正在与成瘾作斗争的人们不会被落下。赌博成瘾会摧毁个人和家庭，但太多社区仍然缺乏提供预防、治疗和康复支持所需的资源。”
“《POINTS法案》通过将现有的赌博消费税收入投入到扩大护理、提高认识并为人们提供所需帮助的项目中，帮助填补了这一缺口。”
伊丽莎白·埃尔金德是福克斯新闻数字版的政治记者，负责报道众议院。她曾在《每日邮报》和哥伦比亚广播公司新闻担任数字专栏作家。
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After her father’s addiction led to a $91K gambling spiral, GOP Rep Erin Houchin pushes addiction reform
The POINTS Act would create the first federal fund specifically dedicated to gambling addiction treatment
By Elizabeth Elkind
Fox News
Published March 10, 2026 3:00pm EDT
Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., spoke with Fox News Digital about her new bipartisan bill to help people get treatment for gambling addiction, and her own family history battling it.
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Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., was in college when her father was “raking up thousands of dollars of debt” while battling a crippling gambling addiction she says was brought on by medication to treat his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.
Now, the Indiana Republican is working to make sure other American families can seek help for their loved ones before facing the same monetary problems.
“The POINTS Act is about helping people who are struggling with gambling addiction, by utilizing existing excise tax revenue to issue grants to states and jurisdictions, including Indian tribes across the country, for the use of education and training on preventing and treating gambling addiction,” Houchin told Fox News Digital.
Her bipartisan bill, the Providing Opportunities for Individuals in Need of Treatment and Support (POINTS) Act, is a rare bipartisan initiative in Congress being co-led with Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Ore.
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It’s an issue Houchin said she is passionate about, given her own family history — which she said is “not unique.”
“Unfortunately, many families across the country have had similar experiences, if not from Parkinson’s, but from other illnesses and just suffering from addiction in general,” she said. “And it can cripple families and ruin their future if it’s not treated.”
Her own father was 55 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, Houchin said, and the gambling addiction set in soon after.
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“My mom would tell stories that, you know, they often would go out west if they’d take a vacation, and it would be difficult for her to get him through the airport at Las Vegas because of the casino that’s right there as you pass through,” Houchin said.
She told Fox News Digital that her father’s doctors knew little about why the medication caused his gambling addiction, but suggested it took her family years to financially recover.
“My mom just let me know that she just paid off a second mortgage, took her about 10 to 15 years to pay it off, around $91,000 of gambling debt that my dad had raked up over the course of his illness after being prescribed this medication,” Houchin said. “So we want other families to have the support system necessary to have the resources to treat gambling addiction.”
Her legislation, which is also backed by Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, and Troy Carter, D-La., would create a first-of-its-kind federal fund dedicated to specifically addressing gambling addiction.
She also pointed out that it would not be funded by any new taxes on Americans.
“This is existing excise taxes that are going to be distributed in the form of grants for states that adhere to the principles in the POINTS Act, which is providing resources, not just to healthcare professionals, but also for families on how to access gambling addiction treatment,” Houchin said.
Both she and Salinas also argued the legislation was critical now, given the meteoric rise of sports betting via apps and other easily accessible means.
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“As sports betting and online gambling continue to expand across the country, we have a responsibility to ensure people struggling with addiction are not left behind. Gambling addiction can devastate individuals and families, yet too many communities still lack the resources needed to provide prevention, treatment, and recovery support,” Salinas told Fox News Digital.
“The POINTS Act helps close that gap by investing existing gambling excise tax revenue into programs that expand care, raise awareness, and connect people to the help they need.”
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6390684932112
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