MONTPELIER, Vt. — The six New England governors are urging leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives to expand the types of medical practitioners who can prescribe drugs to treat opiate addiction.

In a Tuesday letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan and minority leader Nancy Pelosi, the governors ask the House leaders to support the proposed Recovery Enhancement for Addiction Treatment Act.

The act would allow some nurse practitioners and physician assistants to treat up to 100 patients per year with buprenorphine.

The governors say the expansion is needed to ensure there are enough practitioners to meet demand.

The governors in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island say the health of families, communities and the economy rests on the ability to help people overcome their addictions.