I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4388 

To prioritize, in certain substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery 

programs, the treatment and recovery of addicted minors, and individuals 

responsible for the care of dependent minors who are at risk of entering 

the foster care system. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 14, 2017 

Mr. DUFFY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To prioritize, in certain substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery programs, the treatment and recovery 

of addicted minors, and individuals responsible for the 

care of dependent minors who are at risk of entering 

the foster care system. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Forgotten Families 

5 Recovery Act of 2017’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON PRIORITIZING RURAL 

2 FAMILIES AND AT-RISK YOUTH WITHIN SUB3 STANCE ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAMS. 

4 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds as follows: 

5 (1) Behavioral health and detoxification (detox) 

6 services are not as readily available in rural commu7 nities. For those that are available, their range of 

8 services is frequently limited. 

9 (2) Patients who require treatment for sub10 stance abuse may need to travel long distances to 

11 access these services. 

12 (3) Rural first responders or the rural hospital 

13 emergency room (ER) staff may have limited experi14 ence in providing care to a patient presenting the 

15 physical effects of a drug overdose. 

16 (4) Law enforcement and prevention programs 

17 may be spread sparsely over large rural geographic 

18 areas. 

19 (5) According to a 2012 study published by the 

20 Maine Rural Health Research Center, alcohol use 

21 and binge drinking are more common among rural 

22 youth aged 12 to 13 than among urban youth the 

23 same age. 

24 (6) Rural adolescents reported higher rates of 

25 binge drinking and driving under the influence 

26 (DUI) than urban adolescents. 


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1 (7) A 2014 JAMA Psychiatry article concluded 

2 that heroin users entering treatment over the past 

3 50 years have demonstrated a changing geographical 

4 composition, with an increasing percentage in more 

5 recent years arriving from communities outside of 

6 large urban areas. 

7 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con8 gress that the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 

9 in carrying out substance abuse prevention, treatment, 

10 and recovery programs, should prioritize appropriate fund11 ing for activities within rural populations, especially those 

12 with high rates of substance abuse among families, or high 

13 rates of dependent minors at risk of entering the foster 

14 care system. 

15 SEC. 3. PRIORITY FOR THE TREATMENT AND RECOVERY OF 

16 ADDICTED MINORS, AND INDIVIDUALS RE17 SPONSIBLE FOR THE CARE OF DEPENDENT 

18 MINORS WHO ARE AT RISK OF ENTERING 

19 THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM. 

20 Section 516(b)(2) of the Public Health Service Act 

21 (42 U.S.C. 290bb–22(b)(2)) is amended— 

22 (1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

23 the end; 

24 (2) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as sub25 paragraph (D); and 


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1 (3) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(C) promoting the treatment and recovery 

4 of addicted minors, and individuals responsible 

5 for the care of dependent minors who are at 

6 risk of entering the foster care system; and’’. 

Æ 


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