Preventing Overdoses and Saving Lives Act of 2021
This bill establishes a grant program for states, Indian tribes, and territories to respond to the opioid crisis. In awarding the grants, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must give priority to recipients with the highest opioid dispensing rates.
Recipients must use at least 20% of grant funds to implement a program that requires a prescription for an opioid overdose reversal drug along with an opioid prescription if (1) a patient is prescribed benzodiazepines, medication-assisted treatment, or high-dose opioids; or (2) the prescriber has reason to know of the patient's history with substance use disorders. As part of this program, recipients must also require continuing education on opioid-prescribing practices for prescribers and on recognizing opioid overdose fatalities for coroners.
Recipients must use the remaining funds to develop a strategic plan for the jurisdiction's response to the opioid crisis.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5224 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5224
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to eligible
entities to develop strategic response plans with respect to the opioid
crisis, and to require health care practitioners prescribing an opioid
for certain patients to also prescribe an opioid overdose reversal
drug, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 10, 2021
Mr. Hill (for himself and Mrs. Dingell) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to eligible
entities to develop strategic response plans with respect to the opioid
crisis, and to require health care practitioners prescribing an opioid
for certain patients to also prescribe an opioid overdose reversal
drug, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Preventing Overdoses and Saving
Lives Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. STATE DEMONSTRATION GRANTS FOR COMPREHENSIVE OPIOID ABUSE DATA.
Title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 et seq.)
is amended by inserting after section 317U of such Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-
23) the following:
``SEC. 317V. STATE DEMONSTRATION GRANTS FOR COMPREHENSIVE OPIOID ABUSE
DATA.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in conjunction with the Director
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may award grants to
eligible entities--
``(1) to conduct research and develop a strategic response
plan with respect to the opioid crisis; and
``(2) to establish and implement a co-prescribing program.
``(b) Amount of Grants.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall determine the amount
of each grant awarded under this section on an annual basis. In
allocating such amounts across grantees for a fiscal year, the
Secretary shall award--
``(A) a minimum amount to each grantee in
accordance with paragraph (2); and
``(B) an additional amount to each grantee in
accordance with paragraph (3).
``(2) Minimum amount.--The Secretary shall--
``(A) determine the basis for determining the
minimum amount of a grant under paragraph (1)(A); and
``(B) apply such basis consistently across all
grantees under this section.
``(3) Additional amount.--In allocating additional amounts
across all grantees under this section for a fiscal year, the
Secretary shall give priority in setting such amounts to
grantees with the highest opioid dispensing rates as determined
by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
``(c) Priority in Selection.--In selecting grantees under this
section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities with
the highest opioid dispensing rates as determined by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
``(d) Allocation of Funds by a Grantee.--A grantee under this
section shall allocate the funds received through the grant as follows:
``(1) Not more than 80 percent of the funds received
through the grant shall be used to conduct research and develop
a strategic plan in accordance with subsection (e).
``(2) At least 20 percent of the grant shall be used by the
grantee to administer a co-prescribing program in accordance
with subsection (f).
``(e) Research; Strategic Plan.--
``(1) In general.--Subject to subsection (d), a grantee
under this section shall use the grant funds--
``(A) to conduct research on the impacts of the
opioid crisis within the jurisdiction of the grantee;
and
``(B) to develop a strategic plan to respond to the
opioid crisis within such jurisdiction.
``(2) Strategic plan contents.--A strategic plan required
by paragraph (1)(B) shall include plans for--
``(A) increasing public awareness about the opioid
crisis within the jurisdiction of the grantee;
``(B) full-spectrum prevention within such
jurisdiction;
``(C) intervention within such jurisdiction;
``(D) treatment and recovery within such
jurisdiction; and
``(E) coordinating with law enforcement within such
jurisdiction.
``(f) Co-Prescribing Program.--
``(1) In general.--Subject to subsection (d), a grantee
under this section shall use funds received through the grant
to carry out a co-prescribing program under which the grantee
requires--
``(A) health care practitioners in the jurisdiction
of the grantee who prescribe an opioid for any patient
to also prescribe an opioid overdose reversal drug for
such patient if--
``(i) the opioid dosage prescribed is equal
to or in excess of 50 morphine milligram
equivalents per day;
``(ii) the practitioner prescribes a
benzodiazepine for the patient or knows or
reasonably should know a benzodiazepine has
been prescribed for the patient in the past;
``(iii) the practitioner prescribes
medication-assisted treatment for the patient
or knows or reasonably should know medication
assisted treatment has been prescribed for the
patient in the past; or
``(iv) the practitioner knows or reasonably
should know the patient has a history of
substance use disorder;
``(B) such health care practitioners to complete
continuing education on opioid prescribing; and
``(C) coroners in the jurisdiction of the grantee
to complete continuing education on recognizing
fatalities attributable to an opioid overdose.
``(2) Waiver.--If the laws, regulations, or orders of an
applicant for a grant under this section conflict in any
respect with the requirements of subparagraph (A), (B), or (C)
of paragraph (1), the Secretary shall waive such requirements
to the extent necessary to allow the grantee to carry out a co-
prescribing program under this section.
``(g) Supplement, Not Supplant.--Grant funds under this section
shall be used to supplement, not supplant, funding from other sources
for the activities funded through the grant.
``(h) Application.--To seek a grant under this section, an eligible
entity shall submit an application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information and assurances as the Secretary may
require.
``(i) Reporting.--Not later than the end of each of fiscal years
2024 and 2026, a grantee under this section shall submit to the
Secretary, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, and the appropriate congressional committees, and make
publicly available, a report on the activities funded through the grant
for each fiscal year covered by the report, including--
``(1) the allocation of funds for activities under
subsection (e) versus activities under subsection (f);
``(2) a description of the research conducted by the
grantee under subsection (e)(1)(A), including the results of
such research;
``(3) an up-to-date version of the strategic plan developed
under subsection (e)(1)(B); and
``(4) a description of the co-prescribing program under
subsection (f), including an analysis of the effectiveness of
the program.
``(j) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
`appropriate congressional committees' means the Committee on
Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Housing, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the
Senate.
``(2) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means
any State, any Indian Tribe, the District of Columbia, or any
territory of the United States.
``(3) Indian tribe.--The term `Indian Tribe' has the
meaning given to such term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act.
``(4) Opioid overdose reversal drug.--The term `opioid
overdose reversal drug' means--
``(A) naloxone; or
``(B) any other emergency opioid antagonist
approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat
an opioid overdose.
``(k) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary
for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line