I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5224 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to eligible 
entities to develop strategic response plans with respect to the opioid 
crisis, and to require health care practitioners prescribing an opioid 
for certain patients to also prescribe an opioid overdose reversal drug, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 
Mr. HILL (for himself and Mrs. DINGELL) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants 
to eligible entities to develop strategic response plans 
with respect to the opioid crisis, and to require health 
care practitioners prescribing an opioid for certain pa-
tients to also prescribe an opioid overdose reversal drug, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preventing Overdoses 
and Saving Lives Act of 2021’’. 
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SEC. 
2. 
STATE 
DEMONSTRATION 
GRANTS 
FOR 
COM-
PREHENSIVE OPIOID ABUSE DATA. 
Title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
241 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 317U 
of such Act (42 U.S.C. 247b–23) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 317V. STATE DEMONSTRATION GRANTS FOR COM-
PREHENSIVE OPIOID ABUSE DATA. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in conjunction 
with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, may award grants to eligible entities— 
‘‘(1) to conduct research and develop a strategic 
response plan with respect to the opioid crisis; and 
‘‘(2) to establish and implement a co-pre-
scribing program. 
‘‘(b) AMOUNT OF GRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall deter-
mine the amount of each grant awarded under this 
section on an annual basis. In allocating such 
amounts across grantees for a fiscal year, the Sec-
retary shall award— 
‘‘(A) a minimum amount to each grantee 
in accordance with paragraph (2); and 
‘‘(B) an additional amount to each grantee 
in accordance with paragraph (3). 
‘‘(2) 
MINIMUM
AMOUNT.—The 
Secretary 
shall— 
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‘‘(A) determine the basis for determining 
the minimum amount of a grant under para-
graph (1)(A); and 
‘‘(B) apply such basis consistently across 
all grantees under this section. 
‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL AMOUNT.—In allocating addi-
tional amounts across all grantees under this section 
for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall give priority in 
setting such amounts to grantees with the highest 
opioid dispensing rates as determined by the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention. 
‘‘(c) PRIORITY IN SELECTION.—In selecting grantees 
under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligi-
ble entities with the highest opioid dispensing rates as de-
termined by the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
tion. 
‘‘(d) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS BY A GRANTEE.—A 
grantee under this section shall allocate the funds received 
through the grant as follows: 
‘‘(1) Not more than 80 percent of the funds re-
ceived through the grant shall be used to conduct re-
search and develop a strategic plan in accordance 
with subsection (e). 
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‘‘(2) At least 20 percent of the grant shall be 
used by the grantee to administer a co-prescribing 
program in accordance with subsection (f). 
‘‘(e) RESEARCH; STRATEGIC PLAN.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (d), a 
grantee under this section shall use the grant 
funds— 
‘‘(A) to conduct research on the impacts of 
the opioid crisis within the jurisdiction of the 
grantee; and 
‘‘(B) to develop a strategic plan to respond 
to the opioid crisis within such jurisdiction. 
‘‘(2) STRATEGIC PLAN CONTENTS.—A strategic 
plan required by paragraph (1)(B) shall include 
plans for— 
‘‘(A) increasing public awareness about the 
opioid crisis within the jurisdiction of the grant-
ee; 
‘‘(B) full-spectrum prevention within such 
jurisdiction; 
‘‘(C) intervention within such jurisdiction; 
‘‘(D) treatment and recovery within such 
jurisdiction; and 
‘‘(E) coordinating with law enforcement 
within such jurisdiction. 
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‘‘(f) CO-PRESCRIBING PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (d), a 
grantee under this section shall use funds received 
through the grant to carry out a co-prescribing pro-
gram under which the grantee requires— 
‘‘(A) health care practitioners in the juris-
diction of the grantee who prescribe an opioid 
for any patient to also prescribe an opioid over-
dose reversal drug for such patient if— 
‘‘(i) the opioid dosage prescribed is 
equal to or in excess of 50 morphine milli-
gram equivalents per day; 
‘‘(ii) the practitioner prescribes a 
benzodiazepine for the patient or knows or 
reasonably should know a benzodiazepine 
has been prescribed for the patient in the 
past; 
‘‘(iii) the practitioner prescribes medi-
cation-assisted treatment for the patient or 
knows or reasonably should know medica-
tion assisted treatment has been prescribed 
for the patient in the past; or 
‘‘(iv) the practitioner knows or rea-
sonably should know the patient has a his-
tory of substance use disorder; 
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‘‘(B) such health care practitioners to com-
plete continuing education on opioid pre-
scribing; and 
‘‘(C) coroners in the jurisdiction of the 
grantee to complete continuing education on 
recognizing fatalities attributable to an opioid 
overdose. 
‘‘(2) WAIVER.—If the laws, regulations, or or-
ders of an applicant for a grant under this section 
conflict in any respect with the requirements of sub-
paragraph (A), (B), or (C) of paragraph (1), the 
Secretary shall waive such requirements to the ex-
tent necessary to allow the grantee to carry out a co- 
prescribing program under this section. 
‘‘(g) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Grant funds 
under this section shall be used to supplement, not sup-
plant, funding from other sources for the activities funded 
through the grant. 
‘‘(h) APPLICATION.—To seek a grant under this sec-
tion, an eligible entity shall submit an application at such 
time, in such manner, and containing such information 
and assurances as the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(i) REPORTING.—Not later than the end of each of 
fiscal years 2024 and 2026, a grantee under this section 
shall submit to the Secretary, the Director of the Centers 
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for Disease Control and Prevention, and the appropriate 
congressional committees, and make publicly available, a 
report on the activities funded through the grant for each 
fiscal year covered by the report, including— 
‘‘(1) the allocation of funds for activities under 
subsection (e) versus activities under subsection (f); 
‘‘(2) a description of the research conducted by 
the grantee under subsection (e)(1)(A), including the 
results of such research; 
‘‘(3) an up-to-date version of the strategic plan 
developed under subsection (e)(1)(B); and 
‘‘(4) a description of the co-prescribing program 
under subsection (f), including an analysis of the ef-
fectiveness of the program. 
‘‘(j) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’ means the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Housing, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
of the Senate. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en-
tity’ means any State, any Indian Tribe, the District 
of Columbia, or any territory of the United States. 
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‘‘(3) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian Tribe’ 
has the meaning given to such term in section 4 of 
the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assist-
ance Act. 
‘‘(4) OPIOID OVERDOSE REVERSAL DRUG.—The 
term ‘opioid overdose reversal drug’ means— 
‘‘(A) naloxone; or 
‘‘(B) any other emergency opioid antago-
nist approved by the Food and Drug Adminis-
tration to treat an opioid overdose. 
‘‘(k) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—To 
carry out this section, there are authorized to be appro-
priated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal 
years 2022 through 2026.’’. 
Æ 
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