II 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2579 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize and expand a program 

of surveillance and education, carried out by the Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention, regarding infections associated with injection 

drug use. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 20, 2018 

Mr. YOUNG (for himself, Mr. MARKEY, and Ms. BALDWIN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize and 

expand a program of surveillance and education, carried 

out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 

regarding infections associated with injection drug use. 

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 ‘‘Eliminating Opioid Re5 lated Infectious Diseases Act of 2018’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION AND EXPANSION OF PROGRAM 

2 OF SURVEILLANCE AND EDUCATION RE3 GARDING INFECTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH IN4 JECTION DRUG USE. 

5 Section 317N of the Public Health Service Act (42 

6 U.S.C. 247b–15) is amended to read as follows: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 317N. SURVEILLANCE AND EDUCATION REGARDING 

8 INFECTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH INJECTION 

9 DRUG USE. 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 

11 the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Pre12 vention, may (directly and through grants to public and 

13 nonprofit private entities) provide for programs to carry 

14 out the following activities: 

15 ‘‘(1) To cooperate with the States in imple16 menting a surveillance system to determine the inci17 dence of infections associated with injection drug use 

18 and to assist the States in determining the preva19 lence of such infections, including the reporting of 

20 chronic hepatitis C virus and human immuno21 deficiency virus cases. 

22 ‘‘(2) To identify, counsel, and offer testing to 

23 individuals who are at risk of infections as a result 

24 of injection drug use, receiving blood transfusions 

25 prior to July 1992, or other risk factors. 


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1 ‘‘(3) To provide appropriate referrals for coun2 seling, testing, and medical treatment of individuals 

3 identified under paragraph (2) and to ensure, to the 

4 extent practicable, the provision of appropriate fol5 low-up services. 

6 ‘‘(4) To develop and disseminate public infor7 mation and education programs for the detection 

8 and control of infections associated with injection 

9 drug use, with priority given to high-risk populations 

10 as determined by the Secretary. 

11 ‘‘(5) To improve the education, training, and 

12 skills of health professionals in the detection and 

13 control of infections associated with injection drug 

14 use, with priority given to substance use disorder 

15 treatment providers, pediatricians, other primary 

16 care providers, and obstetrician-gynecologists. 

17 ‘‘(b) LABORATORY PROCEDURES.—The Secretary 

18 may (directly and through grants to public and nonprofit 

19 private entities) carry out programs to provide for im20 provements in the quality of clinical-laboratory procedures 

21 regarding infections associated with injection drug use. 

22 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the term ‘injec23 tion drug use’ means— 


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1 ‘‘(1) intravenous administration of a substance 

2 in schedule I under section 202 of the Controlled 

3 Substances Act; 

4 ‘‘(2) intravenous administration of a substance 

5 in schedule II, III, IV, or V under section 202 of the 

6 Controlled Substances Act that has not been ap7 proved for intravenous use under— 

8 ‘‘(A) section 505 of the Federal Food, 

9 Drug and Cosmetic Act; or 

10 ‘‘(B) section 351 of the Public Health 

11 Service Act; or 

12 ‘‘(3) intravenous administration of a substance 

13 in schedule II, III, IV, or V under section 202 of the 

14 Controlled Substances Act that has not been pre15 scribed to the person using the substance. 

16 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 

17 purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized 

18 to be appropriated $40,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 

19 2019 through 2023.’’. 

Æ 


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