I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6251 

To establish a grant program to provide schools with opioid overdose reversal 

drugs, to direct schools receiving Federal funds to report to certain 

Federal information systems any distribution of an opioid overdose reversal drug, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 6, 2023 

Mr. SCHIFF (for himself, Mr. RUIZ, Ms. KUSTER, Ms. SA ́NCHEZ, Ms. 

TOKUDA, Mr. TRONE, and Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 

case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 

the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To establish a grant program to provide schools with opioid 

overdose reversal drugs, to direct schools receiving Federal funds to report to certain Federal information systems any distribution of an opioid overdose reversal drug, 

and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Helping Educators Re5 spond to Overdoses Act’’ or the ‘‘HERO Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. SCHOOL GRANTS FOR OPIOID OVERDOSE REVER2 SAL DRUGS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning not later than 90 days 

4 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

5 Health and Human Services, acting through the Assistant 

6 Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, (in this 

7 section referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) in consultation 

8 with the Secretary of Education, shall award grants, on 

9 a competitive basis, to eligible entities— 

10 (1) to purchase opioid overdose reversal drugs 

11 that are approved under section 505 of the Federal 

12 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 355); and 

13 (2) to develop and implement the educational 

14 programming or resources referred to in subsection 

15 (b)(2)(C). 

16 (b) APPLICATIONS.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for a grant 

18 under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to 

19 the Secretary an application in such form, at such 

20 time, and containing such information as the Sec21 retary determines appropriate, which shall include 

22 the material required under paragraph (2). 

23 (2) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—An applica24 tion submitted by an eligible entity under paragraph 

25 (1) shall include the following: 


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1 (A) A description of how the eligible entity 

2 will use a grant received under this section. 

3 (B) An assurance that the eligible entity 

4 will, in consultation with the local health de5 partment, develop and implement— 

6 (i) in the case of an eligible entity 

7 that is a private school, a comprehensive 

8 emergency response plan for the staff of 

9 the school; and 

10 (ii) in the case of an eligible entity 

11 that is a local educational agency, such a 

12 plan for the staff of each school that is 

13 served by the local educational agency. 

14 (C) An assurance that the eligible entity 

15 will develop and implement educational pro16 gramming or resources (which may include pro17 gramming or resources developed by the Sec18 retary) to promote student and community 

19 knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation 

20 (commonly known as ‘‘CPR’’), drug-use preven21 tion and intervention, and emergency responses 

22 to drug overdoses. 

23 (c) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec24 tion, the Secretary shall give priority to any eligible entity 


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1 that is in a city or county with a high rate of drug 

2 overdoses involving opioids. 

3 (d) GRANT PERIOD.—A grant awarded under this 

4 section shall be for a period of 1 year. 

5 (e) REPORTS.— 

6 (1) GRANT RECIPIENTS.—Not later than 1 year 

7 after the date on which the grant period referred to 

8 in subsection (d) ends, the recipient of a grant under 

9 this section shall submit to the Secretary a report 

10 that contains the following: 

11 (A) A description of the use the recipient 

12 made of the opioid overdose reversal drugs pur13 chased with the grant. 

14 (B) A description of the comprehensive 

15 emergency response plan referred to in sub16 section (b)(2)(B). 

17 (C) A description of the educational pro18 gramming or resources referred to in subsection 

19 (b)(2)(C). 

20 (2) SECRETARY.—Not later than 2 years after 

21 the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 

22 thereafter, the Secretary, in consultation with the 

23 Secretary of Education, shall submit to Congress a 

24 report that summarizes all information received by 


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1 the Secretary in the reports referred to in paragraph 

2 (1). 

3 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) CHARTER SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘charter 

5 school’’ has the meaning given such term in section 

6 4310 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

7 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7221i). 

8 (2) ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SECONDARY

9 SCHOOL, AND LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The 

10 terms ‘‘elementary school’’, ‘‘secondary school’’, and 

11 ‘‘local educational agency’’ have the meanings given 

12 such terms, respectively, in section 8101 of the Ele13 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

14 U.S.C. 7801). 

15 (3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti16 ty’’ means— 

17 (A) a private elementary school or private 

18 secondary school; and 

19 (B) a local educational agency, including a 

20 charter school that is a local educational agen21 cy, or a consortium of local educational agen22 cies. 

23 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

24 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 


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1 $1,000,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2024 

2 through 2028. 

3 SEC. 3. REPORTING TO FEDERAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS 

4 OF SCHOOL DISTRIBUTION OF OPIOID OVER5 DOSE REVERSAL DRUGS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning not later than 90 days 

7 after the date of enactment of this Act, a covered edu8 cational institution receiving Federal funds shall submit 

9 a description of any distribution of an opioid overdose re10 versal drug by such institution to— 

11 (1) the National Emergency Medical Services 

12 Information System (commonly known as 

13 ‘‘NEMSIS’’); and 

14 (2) the Overdose Detection Mapping Applica15 tion Program of the Washington/Baltimore High In16 tensity Drug Trafficking Area (commonly known as 

17 ‘‘ODMAP’’). 

18 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

19 (1) CHARTER SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘charter 

20 school’’ has the meaning given such term in section 

21 4310 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

22 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7221i). 

23 (2) COVERED EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION.— 

24 The term ‘‘covered educational institution’’ means— 


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1 (A) a private elementary school or private 

2 secondary school; and 

3 (B) a local educational agency, including a 

4 charter school that is a local educational agen5 cy. 

6 (3) ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SECONDARY

7 SCHOOL, AND LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The 

8 terms ‘‘elementary school’’, ‘‘secondary school’’, and 

9 ‘‘local educational agency’’ have the meanings given 

10 such terms, respectively, in section 8101 of the Ele11 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

12 U.S.C. 7801). 

Æ 


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