IIB 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5891 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JUNE 14, 2018 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions 
AN ACT 
To establish an interagency task force to improve the Federal 
response to families impacted by substance abuse disorders. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Improving the Federal 
Response to Families Impacted by Substance Use Dis-
order Act’’. 
SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE TO IMPROVE THE FED-
ERAL RESPONSE TO FAMILIES IMPACTED BY 
SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a task 
force, to be known as the ‘‘Interagency Task Force to Im-
prove the Federal Response to Families Impacted by Sub-
stance Use Disorders’’ (in this section referred to as 
‘‘Task Force’’). 
(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Task Force— 
(1) shall identify, evaluate, and recommend 
ways in which Federal agencies can better coordi-
nate responses to substance use disorders and the 
opioid crisis; and 
(2) shall carry out the additional duties de-
scribed in subsection (d). 
(c) MEMBERSHIP.— 
(1) NUMBER
AND
APPOINTMENT.—The Task 
Force shall be composed of 12 Federal officials hav-
ing responsibility for, or administering programs re-
lated to, the duties of the Task Force. The Secretary 
of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of 
Education, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the 
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Secretary of Labor shall each appoint two members 
to the Task Force from among the Federal officials 
employed by the Department of which they are the 
head. Additional Federal agency officials appointed 
by the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
shall fill the remaining positions of the Task Force. 
(2) CHAIRPERSON.—The Secretary of Health 
and Human Services shall designate a Federal offi-
cial employed by the Department of Health and 
Human Services to serve as the chairperson of the 
Task Force. 
(3) 
DEADLINE
FOR
APPOINTMENT.—Each 
member shall be appointed to the Task Force not 
later than 60 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
(4) ADDITIONAL
AGENCY
INPUT.—The Task 
Force may seek input from other Federal agencies 
and offices with experience, expertise, or information 
relevant in responding to the opioid crisis. 
(5) VACANCIES.—A vacancy in the Task Force 
shall be filled in the manner in which the original 
appointment was made. 
(6) PROHIBITION
OF
COMPENSATION.—Mem-
bers of the Task Force may not receive pay, allow-
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ances, or benefits by reason of their service on the 
Task Force. 
(d) DUTIES.—The Task Force shall carry out the fol-
lowing duties: 
(1) Solicit input from stakeholders, including 
frontline service providers, medical professionals, 
educators, mental health professionals, researchers, 
experts in infant, child, and youth trauma, child wel-
fare professionals, and the public, in order to inform 
the activities of the Task Force. 
(2) Develop a strategy on how the Task Force 
and participating Federal agencies will collaborate, 
prioritize, and implement a coordinated Federal ap-
proach with regard to responding to substance use 
disorders, including opioid misuse, that shall in-
clude— 
(A) identifying options for the coordination 
of existing grants that support infants, chil-
dren, and youth, and their families as appro-
priate, who have experienced, or are at risk of 
experiencing, exposure to substance abuse dis-
orders, including opioid misuse; and 
(B) other ways to improve coordination, 
planning, and communication within and across 
Federal agencies, offices, and programs, to bet-
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ter serve children and families impacted by sub-
stance use disorders, including opioid misuse. 
(3) Based off the strategy developed under 
paragraph (2), evaluate and recommend opportuni-
ties for local- and State-level partnerships, profes-
sional development, or best practices that— 
(A) are designed to quickly identify and 
refer children and families, as appropriate, who 
have experienced or are at risk of experiencing 
exposure to substance abuse; 
(B) utilize and develop partnerships with 
early childhood education programs, local social 
services organizations, and health care services 
aimed at preventing or mitigating the effects of 
exposure to substance use disorders, including 
opioid misuse; 
(C) offer community-based prevention ac-
tivities, including educating families and chil-
dren on the effects of exposure to substance use 
disorders, including opioid misuse, and how to 
build resilience and coping skills to mitigate 
those effects; 
(D) in accordance with Federal privacy 
protections, utilize non-personally identifiable 
data from screenings, referrals, or the provision 
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of services and supports to evaluate and im-
prove processes addressing exposure to sub-
stance use disorders, including opioid misuse; 
and 
(E) are designed to prevent separation and 
support reunification of families if in the best 
interest of the child. 
(4) In fulfilling the requirements of paragraphs 
(2) and (3), consider evidence-based, evidence-in-
formed, and promising best practices related to iden-
tifying, referring, and supporting children and fami-
lies at risk of experiencing exposure to substance 
abuse or experiencing substance use disorder, includ-
ing opioid misuse, including— 
(A) prevention strategies for those at risk 
of experiencing or being exposed to substance 
abuse, including misuse of opioids; 
(B) whole-family and multi-generational 
approaches; 
(C) community-based initiatives; 
(D) referral to, and implementation of, 
trauma-informed practices and supports; and 
(E) multi-generational practices that assist 
parents, foster parents, and kinship and other 
caregivers. 
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(e) FACA.—The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 
U.S.C. App. 2) shall not apply to the Task Force. 
(f) ACTION PLAN; REPORTS.—The Task Force— 
(1) shall prepare a detailed action plan to be 
implemented by participating Federal agencies to 
create a collaborative, coordinated response to the 
opioid crisis, which shall include— 
(A) relevant information identified and col-
lected under subsection (d); 
(B) a proposed timeline for implementing 
recommendations and efforts identified under 
subsection (d); and 
(C) a description of how other Federal 
agencies and offices with experience, expertise, 
or information relevant in responding to the 
opioid crisis that have provided input under 
subsection (c)(4) will be participating in the co-
ordinated approach; 
(2) shall submit to the Congress a report de-
scribing the action plan prepared under paragraph 
(1), including, where applicable, identification of any 
recommendations included in such plan that require 
additional legislative authority to implement; and 
(3) shall submit a report to the Governors de-
scribing the opportunities for local- and State-level 
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partnerships, professional development, or best prac-
tices recommended under subsection (d)(3). 
(g) DISSEMINATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The action plan and reports 
required under subsection (f) shall be— 
(A) disseminated widely, including among 
the participating Federal agencies and the Gov-
ernors; and 
(B) be made publicly available online in an 
accessible format. 
(2) DEADLINE.—The action plan and reports 
required under subsection (f) may be released on 
separate dates but shall be released not later than 
9 months after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
(h) TERMINATION.—The Task Force shall terminate 
30 days after the dissemination of the action plan and re-
ports under subsection (g). 
(i) FUNDING.—The administrative expenses of the 
Task Force shall be paid out of existing Department of 
Health and Human Services funds or appropriations. 
(j) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘Governor’’ means the chief exec-
utive officer of a State. 
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(2) The term ‘‘participating Federal agencies’’ 
means all the Executive agencies (as defined in sec-
tion 105 of title 5, United States Code) whose offi-
cials have been appointed to the Task Force. 
(3) The term ‘‘State’’ means each of the several 
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth 
of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American 
Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands. 
Passed the House of Representatives June 13, 2018. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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