Bruce's Law

To establish an awareness campaign related to the lethality of fentanyl and fentanyl-contaminated drugs, to establish a Federal Interagency Work Group on Fentanyl Contamination of Illegal Drugs, and to provide community-based coalition enhancement grants to mitigate the effects of drug misuse. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Bruce's Law 2. Awareness campaigns (a) Opioid program Section 102 of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 ( Public Law 114–198 (1) in the section heading, by inserting relating to opioids campaigns (2) in subsection (c)— (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting and (B) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ; and (C) by striking paragraph (3). (b) Additional campaign Title I of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 ( Public Law 114–198 102A. Awareness campaign related to lethality of fentanyl and fentanyl-contaminated drugs (a) In general The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the heads of other Federal departments and agencies, shall, as appropriate, through a public awareness campaign, advance the education and awareness of the public (including school-aged children, youth, parents, first responders, and providers) and other appropriate entities regarding the risk of counterfeit drugs being contaminated with fentanyl and the dangers of fentanyl lethality. (b) Topics The education and awareness campaigns under subsection (a) shall address— (1) the dangers of using drugs which may be contaminated with fentanyl; (2) the prevention of drug abuse, including through safe disposal of prescription medications and other safety precautions; and (3) the detection of early warning signs of addiction in school-aged children and youth. (c) Other requirements The education and awareness campaigns under subsection (a) shall, as appropriate, take into account any association between prescription drug misuse, heroin use, and drugs contaminated by fentanyl. (d) Drug defined In this section, the term drug (e) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated for fiscal years 2024 through 2028 such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section. . 3. Federal Interagency Work Group on Fentanyl Contamination of Illegal Drugs Title I of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 ( Public Law 114–198 102B. Federal Interagency Work Group on Fentanyl Contamination of Illegal Drugs (a) Establishment The Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in this section as the Secretary Work Group (b) Membership; consultation (1) Composition Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of Bruce's Law (2) Consultation The Work Group shall consult with— (A) experts at the State, Tribal, and local levels with relevant backgrounds in reducing, preventing, and responding to drug overdose by fentanyl contamination of illegal drugs; (B) family members of adults who have overdosed by fentanyl-contaminated illegal drugs; (C) family members of school-aged children and youth who have overdosed by fentanyl-contaminated illegal drugs; (D) researchers and other experts in the design and implementation of effective drug-related messaging and prevention campaigns; and (E) technology companies. (c) Duties The Work Group shall— (1) examine all Federal efforts directed towards reducing and preventing drug overdose by fentanyl-contaminated illegal drugs; (2) identify strategies, resources, and supports to improve State, Tribal, and local responses to overdose by fentanyl-contaminated illegal drugs; (3) make recommendations to Congress for improving Federal programs and efforts and coordination across such programs and efforts to reduce and prevent drug overdose by fentanyl-contaminated illegal drugs; and (4) make recommendations for educating youth on the dangers of drugs contaminated by fentanyl. (d) Annual report to Secretary The Work Group shall annually prepare and submit to the Secretary, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives, a report on the activities carried out by the Work Group under subsection (c), including recommendations to reduce and prevent drug overdose by fentanyl contamination of illegal drugs, in all populations, and specifically among youth at risk for substance misuse. . 4. Community-based coalition enhancement grants to address local drug crises Section 103(i) of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 ( 21 U.S.C. 1536(i) 2017 through 2021 2023 through 2027 5. Community-based coalition enhancement grants to educate youth on the risks of drugs contaminated with fentanyl or other synthetic opioids Title I of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 ( Public Law 114–198 103A. Community-based coalition enhancement grants to educate youth on the risks of drugs contaminated with fentanyl or other synthetic opioids (a) Program authorized The Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (referred to in this section as the Director (b) Application (1) In general An eligible entity seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Director at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Director may require. (2) Criteria As part of an application for a grant under this section, the Director shall require an eligible entity to submit a detailed, comprehensive, multisector plan for addressing the implementation of an evidence-based public education campaign on the dangers of drugs contaminated with fentanyl or other synthetic opioids, with a specific consideration given to education focused on youth at increased risk for developing a substance use disorder. (3) Eligible entities For purposes of this section, the term eligible entity (A) has documented, using local data, rates of drug overdose related to fentanyl or other synthetic opioids at levels that are significant, as determined by the Director; and (B) has received a grant under the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997. (c) Use of funds An eligible entity shall use a grant received under this section— (1) for programs designed to implement comprehensive community-wide prevention strategies to address the dangers of drugs contaminated with fentanyl or other synthetic opioids, in the area served by the eligible entity, in accordance with the plan submitted under subsection (b)(2); (2) to obtain specialized training and technical assistance from the organization funded under section 4 of Public Law 107–82 21 U.S.C. 1521 (3) for programs designed to implement comprehensive community-wide strategies to address the dangers of drugs contaminated with fentanyl or other synthetic opioids in the community. (d) Supplement not supplant An eligible entity shall use Federal funds received under this section only to supplement the funds that would, in the absence of those Federal funds, be made available from other Federal and non-Federal sources for the activities described in this section, and not to supplant those funds. (e) Evaluation A grant under this section shall be subject to the same evaluation requirements and procedures as the evaluation requirements and procedures imposed on the recipient of a grant under the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997, and may also include an evaluation of the effectiveness at reducing the use of illicit fentanyl or other synthetic opioids. (f) Limitation on administrative expenses Not more than 12 percent of the amounts made available to carry out this section for a fiscal year may be used to pay for administrative expenses. (g) Delegation authority The Director may enter into an interagency agreement with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to delegate authority for the execution of grants and for such other activities, as the Director determines necessary to carry out this section. (h) Definition In this section, the term drug (i) Authorization of Appropriations For the purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028. .

Summary: Bruce's Law This bill reauthorizes certain grants through FY2027 and sets out other activities to address the dangers of fentanyl-related drug overdoses, with a particular focus on fentanyl contamination. Specifically, the bill (1) reauthorizes grants that are available through the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) for community-based coalitions to address local drug crises, and (2) authorizes new grants for coalitions to implement education and prevention strategies in communities that face significant levels of drug overdoses related to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. The ONDCP may delegate authority to execute the new grants to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must carry out a campaign to increase public awareness of the dangers of fentanyl, including the risk of fentanyl contamination in counterfeit drugs. The bill also establishes an interagency work group to coordinate and improve federal efforts to reduce and prevent overdoses involving fentanyl contamination in illegal drugs. Work group members include the ONDCP, HHS, the Department of Justice, and the Department of State.