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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2504 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2504

            To address prescription opioid and heroin abuse.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 19, 2014

  Ms. Ayotte (for herself and Mr. Donnelly) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
            To address prescription opioid and heroin abuse.

    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 ``Heroin and Prescription Opioid Abuse 
Prevention, Education, and Enforcement Act of 2014''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

            (1) The Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.) 
        declares that many controlled substances have a useful and 
        legitimate medical purpose and are necessary to maintain the 
        health and general welfare of the people of the United States.
            (2) Health care professionals, medical experts, 
        researchers, and scientists have found pain to be a major 
        national health problem.
            (3) The responsible treatment of pain is a high priority 
        for our Nation and the needs of individuals with pain must be 
        taken into careful consideration when taking steps to prevent 
        prescription drug misuse and abuse.
            (4) When no longer needed or wanted for legitimate pain 
        management or health treatment, prescription opioids are 
        susceptible to diversion. Prescription opioids also may be 
        abused by individuals who were not prescribed such drugs or 
        misused by individuals not taking such drugs as directed.
            (5) Approximately 4 out of 5 new heroin users report that 
        they became addicted to prescription opioids before they used 
        heroin for the first time.
            (6) According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 
        heroin attaches to the same brain cell receptors as 
        prescription opioids.
            (7) The low cost and high purity of currently available 
        heroin has contributed to an increase in heroin use.
            (8) More people are using heroin, and are using heroin at a 
        younger age. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports 
        that new heroin users numbered 142,000 in 2010, and increased 
        to 178,000 in 2011. In 2011, the average age at first use among 
        heroin abusers between 12 and 49 years was 22.1 years. In 2009, 
        the average age at first use among heroin abusers between 12 
        and 49 years was 25.5 years.
            (9) According to the Department of Health and Human 
        Services, heroin use rose 79 percent nationwide between 2007 
        and 2012.
            (10) Deaths from heroin overdose have significantly 
        increased in communities across the United States. According to 
        the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of 
        deaths involving heroin increased by 110 percent from 2006 to 
        2011. From 2010 to 2011, the number of heroin deaths rose from 
        3,036 to 4,397.
            (11) The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant 
        Program is critical to fighting the prescription opioid abuse 
        and heroin use epidemics, and should be reauthorized and fully 
        funded.

SEC. 3. DEVELOPMENT OF BEST PRESCRIBING PRACTICES.

    (a) Inter-Agency Task Force.--Not later than 120 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services (referred to in this section as the ``Secretary''), in 
cooperation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of 
Defense, and the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, 
shall convene a Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force 
(referred to in this section as the ``task force'').
    (b) Membership.--The task force shall be comprised of--
            (1) representatives of--
                    (A) the Department of Health and Human Services;
                    (B) the Department of Veterans Affairs;
                    (C) the Department of Defense;
                    (D) the Drug Enforcement Administration; and
                    (E) the Institute of Medicine;
            (2) the Director of the National Institutes of Health;
            (3) physicians and non-physician prescribers;
            (4) pharmacists;
            (5) experts in the fields of pain research and addiction 
        research;
            (6) representatives of--
                    (A) pain management professional organizations;
                    (B) the mental health treatment community; and
                    (C) pain advocacy groups; and
            (7) other stakeholders, as the Secretary determines 
        appropriate.
    (c) Duties.--The task force shall--
            (1) not later than 180 days after the date on which the 
        task force is convened, develop best practices for pain 
        management and prescription pain medication prescribing 
        practices, taking into consideration--
                    (A) existing pain management research;
                    (B) recommendations from relevant conferences; and
                    (C) ongoing efforts at the State and local levels 
                and by medical professional organizations to develop 
                improved pain management strategies;
            (2) solicit and take into consideration public comment on 
        the practices developed under paragraph (1), amending such best 
        practices if appropriate; and
            (3) develop a strategy for disseminating information about 
        the best practices developed under paragraphs (1) and (2) to 
        prescribers, pharmacists, State medical boards, and other 
        parties, as the Secretary determines appropriate.
    (d) Limitation.--The task force shall not have rulemaking 
authority.
    (e) Report.--Not later than 270 days after the date on which the 
task force is convened under subsection (a), the task force shall 
submit to Congress a report that includes--
            (1) the strategy for disseminating best practices developed 
        under subsection (c);
            (2) the results of a feasibility study on linking best 
        practices developed under paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection 
        (c) to receiving and renewing registrations under section 
        303(f) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 823(f)); and
            (3) recommendations on how to apply such best practices to 
        improve prescribing practices at medical facilities of the 
        Veterans Health Administration.

SEC. 4. HAROLD ROGERS PRESCRIPTION DRUG MONITORING PROGRAM.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out the Harold 
Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program established under the 
Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related 
Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002 (Public Law 107-77; 115 Stat. 748), 
there is authorized to be appropriated $9,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2015 through 2019.
    (b) GAO Report.--Not later than October 1, 2016, the Comptroller 
General of the United States shall submit to Congress a report on the 
effectiveness of the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program 
in reducing prescription drug abuse, and, to the extent practicable, 
any corresponding increase or decrease in the use of heroin.

SEC. 5. REAUTHORIZATION OF BYRNE JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM.

    Section 508 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3758) is amended by striking ``2006 
through 2012'' and inserting ``2015 through 2019''.

SEC. 6. OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY.

    (a) Update of Plan To Account for Increased Heroin Use.--Not later 
than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of 
the Office of National Drug Control Policy shall revise the 2011 
Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Plan to reassess the approach under 
such plan to addressing prescription drug abuse in light of an increase 
in heroin use, and to outline actions or programs that can be carried 
out to reduce and prevent such abuse.
    (b) GAO Recommendations for Inter-Agency Coordination.--The 
Director shall ensure that the Office of National Drug Control Policy 
takes into account the report of the Government Accountability Office 
entitled ``Office of National Drug Control Policy: Office Could Better 
Identify Opportunities to Increase Program Coordination'' issued on 
March 26, 2013 (GAO-13-333), and identifies opportunities to enhance 
interagency coordination as part of the Prescription Drug Abuse 
Prevention Plan, as revised under subsection (a).

SEC. 7. AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
advance the education and awareness of providers, patients, and other 
appropriate stakeholders regarding the risk of abuse of prescription 
opioid drugs if such products are not taken as prescribed.
    (b) Drug-Free Media Campaign.--
            (1) In general.--The Office of National Drug Control 
        Policy, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services and the Attorney General, shall establish a national 
        drug awareness campaign.
            (2) Requirements.--The national drug awareness campaign 
        under paragraph (1) shall--
                    (A) take into account the association between 
                prescription opioid abuse and heroin use; and
                    (B) emphasize the similarities between heroin and 
                prescription opioids and the effects of heroin and 
                prescription opioids on the human body.
            (3) Available funds.--Funds for the national drug awareness 
        campaign may be derived from amounts appropriated to the Office 
        of National Drug Control Policy and otherwise available for 
        obligation and expenditure.
                                 <all>
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