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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10047 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10047

   To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of 
 Health and Human Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary for 
 Mental Health and Substance Use, to award grants to support community-
  based programs for harm reduction services for individuals who use 
                              substances.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 25, 2024

 Mr. Larsen of Washington (for himself and Ms. Kuster) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of 
 Health and Human Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary for 
 Mental Health and Substance Use, to award grants to support community-
  based programs for harm reduction services for individuals who use 
                              substances.

    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 ``Closing the Substance Use Care Gap 
Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY-BASED HARM REDUCTION SERVICES FOR 
              SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER.

    Part D of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290dd 
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 544 of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 290dd-3) the following:

``SEC. 544A. GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY-BASED HARM REDUCTION SERVICES FOR 
              SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant 
Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and in consultation with 
the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall 
award grants to eligible entities to support community-based programs 
for harm reduction services for individuals with substance use disorder 
or individuals who use substances.
    ``(b) Eligible Entity.--In this section, the term `eligible entity' 
means--
            ``(1) a State, local, Tribal, or territorial government;
            ``(2) a Tribal organization;
            ``(3) a community-based harm reduction program, including a 
        syringe services program;
            ``(4) a primary and behavioral health organization; or
            ``(5) an opioid treatment program.
    ``(c) Subgrants.--For the purposes for which a grant is awarded 
under this section, the eligible entity receiving the grant may award 
subgrants to--
            ``(1) a Federally qualified health center;
            ``(2) an opioid treatment program;
            ``(3) a health care provider or organization providing 
        services to individuals with substance use disorders or 
        individuals who use substances; and
            ``(4) any nonprofit organization that the Secretary deems 
        appropriate, which may include Urban Indian organizations (as 
        defined in section 4 of the Indian Health Care Improvement 
        Act).
    ``(d) Application.--To seek a grant under this section, an eligible 
entity shall submit to the Secretary, in such form and manner as 
specified by the Secretary, an application that describes--
            ``(1) the intended uses of funds provided through the 
        grant;
            ``(2) how the activities funded through the grant will 
        support community-based harm reduction programs providing harm 
        reduction services for individuals who use substances; and
            ``(3) any other information and assurances the Secretary 
        determines to be appropriate.
    ``(e) Use of Grant Funds.--Grant funds awarded under this section 
to an eligible entity shall be used to support community-based harm 
reduction programs providing harm reduction services for individuals 
who use substances, which--
            ``(1) may include--
                    ``(A) preventing and controlling the spread of 
                infectious diseases and the consequences of such 
                diseases for individuals who use substances, such as 
                through legally authorized or permitted syringe 
                services programs, including the purchase of syringes;
                    ``(B) overdose prevention programs, such as 
                distributing opioid overdose reversal medication to 
                individuals at risk of overdose and individuals likely 
                to witness or respond to an overdose; and
                    ``(C) connecting individuals who use substances to 
                overdose education, harm reduction treatment and 
                counseling, treatment services, recovery support 
                services, and health education, and encouraging such 
                individuals to take steps to reduce the negative 
                personal and public health impacts of substance use or 
                misuse; and
            ``(2) shall include establishing or maintaining processes, 
        protocols, and mechanisms for referral to evidence-based 
        treatment and recovery support services.
    ``(f) Best Practices.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant 
Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, shall issue guidance, based on information 
collected from grantees under this section, detailing best practices 
and promising methods for community-based harm reduction programs 
providing harm reduction services described in subsection (e).
    ``(g) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary, including through the 
Tribal Training and Technical Assistance Center of the Substance Abuse 
and Mental Health Services Administration, as applicable, shall provide 
eligible entities with technical assistance concerning--
            ``(1) grant application and submission procedures under 
        this section;
            ``(2) management activities for grant awards under this 
        section; and
            ``(3) enhancing outreach and direct support to rural and 
        underserved communities and providers in addressing substance 
        use through a grant under this section.
    ``(h) Report to Congress.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
enactment of this section, and biennially thereafter, the Secretary 
shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives a report that--
            ``(1) assesses how grant funding allocated under this 
        section has affected the efforts of States to--
                    ``(A) address substance use;
                    ``(B) prevent and control the spread of infectious 
                diseases, and the consequences of such diseases for 
                individuals who use substances; and
                    ``(C) connect individuals who use substances to 
                overdose education, harm reduction treatment and 
                counseling, treatment services, recovery support 
                services, and health education; and
            ``(2) includes any other information the Secretary 
        determines to be appropriate.
    ``(i) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `Federally qualified health center' has the 
        meaning given to that term in section 1861(aa) of the Social 
        Security Act.
            ``(2) The term `opioid treatment program' has the meaning 
        given to that term in section 8.2 of title 42, Code of Federal 
        Regulations (or any successor regulations).
            ``(3) The term `Urban Indian organization' has the meaning 
        given to that term in section 4 of the Indian Health Care 
        Improvement Act.
    ``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
        to carry out this section $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
        2025 through 2029.
            ``(2) Federal administrative expenses.--Of the amounts made 
        available for each fiscal year to award grants under subsection 
        (a), the Secretary shall use not more than 2 percent for 
        Federal administrative expenses, training, technical 
        assistance, and evaluation.''.
                                 <all>
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