MATE Act of 2021
Bill: S.2235 | Sponsor: Sen. Bennet, Michael F. (D-CO)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Medication Access and Training Expansion Act of 2021 or the MATE Act of 2021
This bill requires health care providers, as a condition of receiving or renewing a registration to prescribe potentially addictive drugs, to complete a one-time training on managing patients with substance use disorders.
In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services must award grants to health professional associations and education programs for integrating substance use disorder training into relevant curricula.

To amend the Controlled Substances Act to require physicians and other 
 prescribers of controlled substances to complete training on treating 
 and managing patients with opioid and other substance use disorders, 
                        and for other purposes.

    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 ``Medication Access and Training 
Expansion Act of 2021'' or the ``MATE Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. REQUIRING PRESCRIBERS OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES TO COMPLETE 
              TRAINING ON TREATING AND MANAGING PATIENTS WITH OPIOID 
              AND OTHER SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS.

    Section 303 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 823) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(l) Required Training for Prescribers on Treating and Managing 
Patients With Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders.--
            ``(1) Applicability.--This subsection applies--
                    ``(A) with respect to any practitioner who is 
                licensed under State law to prescribe controlled 
                substances and is not a veterinarian; and
                    ``(B) beginning with the first registration or 
                renewal of registration by the practitioner under this 
                section occurring not less than 180 days after the date 
                of enactment of the Medication Access and Training 
                Expansion Act of 2021.
            ``(2) Training required.--As a condition on registration 
        under this section to dispense controlled substances in 
        schedule II, III, IV, or V, the Attorney General shall require 
        any practitioner described in paragraph (1)(A) to meet the 
        following:
                    ``(A) If the practitioner is a physician, the 
                practitioner shall meet 1 or more of the following 
                conditions:
                            ``(i) The physician holds a board 
                        certification in addiction psychiatry or 
                        addiction medicine from the American Board of 
                        Medical Specialties.
                            ``(ii) The physician holds a board 
                        certification from the American Board of 
                        Addiction Medicine.
                            ``(iii) The physician holds a board 
                        certification in addiction medicine from the 
                        American Osteopathic Association.
                            ``(iv) With respect to the treatment and 
                        management of patients with opioid and other 
                        substance use disorders, including the 
                        appropriate clinical use of any drug approved 
                        or authorized by the Food and Drug 
                        Administration for the treatment of a substance 
                        use disorder, the physician has completed not 
                        less than 8 hours of training (through 
                        classroom situations, seminars at professional 
                        society meetings, electronic communications, or 
                        otherwise) that is provided by--
                                    ``(I) the American Society of 
                                Addiction Medicine, the American 
                                Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, the 
                                American Medical Association, the 
                                American Osteopathic Association, the 
                                American Psychiatric Association, the 
                                American Academy of Hospice and 
                                Palliative Medicine, the American 
                                Academy of Pain Medicine, or any other 
                                organization accredited by the 
                                Accreditation Council for Continuing 
                                Medical Education (referred to in this 
                                subsection as the `ACCME');
                                    ``(II) any organization accredited 
                                by a State medical society accreditor 
                                recognized by the ACCME; or
                                    ``(III) any organization accredited 
                                by the American Osteopathic Association 
                                to provide continuing medical 
                                education.
                            ``(v) The physician graduated in good 
                        standing from an accredited school of 
                        allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine in 
                        the United States during the 5-year period 
                        immediately preceding the date on which the 
                        physician first registers or renews under this 
                        section and has successfully completed a 
                        comprehensive allopathic or osteopathic 
                        medicine curriculum or accredited medical 
                        residency that included not less than 8 hours 
                        of training on treating and managing patients 
                        with opioid and other substance use disorders, 
                        including the appropriate clinical use of all 
                        drugs approved or authorized by the Food and 
                        Drug Administration for the treatment of a 
                        substance use disorder.
                    ``(B) If the practitioner is not a physician, the 
                practitioner shall meet 1 or more of the following 
                conditions:
                            ``(i) The practitioner has completed not 
                        less than 8 hours of training with respect to 
                        the treatment and medication management of 
                        patients with opioid and other substance use 
                        disorders (through classroom situations, 
                        seminars at professional society meetings, 
                        electronic communications, or otherwise) 
                        provided by the American Society of Addiction 
                        Medicine, the American Academy of Addiction 
                        Psychiatry, the American Medical Association, 
                        the American Osteopathic Association, the 
                        American Nurses Credentialing Center, the 
                        American Psychiatric Association, the American 
                        Association of Nurse Practitioners, the 
                        American Academy of Physician Assistants, the 
                        American Academy of Hospice and Palliative 
                        Medicine, the American Academy of Pain 
                        Medicine, the American Dental Association, or 
                        any other organization that the Secretary 
                        determines is appropriate for purposes of this 
                        clause.
                            ``(ii) The practitioner graduated in good 
                        standing from an accredited physician assistant 
                        school, an accredited school of advanced 
                        practice nursing, or an accredited dental 
                        school in the United States during the 5-year 
                        period immediately preceding the date on which 
                        the practitioner first registers or renews 
                        under this section and has successfully 
                        completed a comprehensive physician assistant, 
                        advanced practice nursing, or dental curriculum 
                        that included not less than 8 hours of training 
                        on treating and managing patients with opioid 
                        and other substance use disorders, including 
                        the appropriate clinical use of all drugs 
                        approved or authorized by the Food and Drug 
                        Administration for the treatment of a substance 
                        use disorder.
            ``(3) One-time training.--The Attorney General shall not 
        require any practitioner to complete the training described in 
        clause (iv) or (v) of paragraph (2)(A) or clause (i) or (ii) of 
        paragraph (2)(B) more than once.
            ``(4) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection 
        shall be construed to prevent a practitioner from using the 
        same training to satisfy the training requirement under this 
        subsection and for another purpose, such as satisfying State 
        licensing requirements.''.

SEC. 3. PRACTITIONER EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM.

    Title V of the Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting 
after section 509 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb-2) the following:

``SEC. 510. PRACTITIONER EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out a program to award 
grants to eligible entities to expand the integration of substance use 
disorder education, including training on treatment and medication 
management, into the standard curriculum of relevant health care and 
health services education programs, thereby expanding the number of 
practitioners who deliver high-quality, evidence-based substance use 
disorder treatment.
    ``(b) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
this section, an entity shall be--
            ``(1) a private nonprofit or public professional 
        association representing health care professionals in the field 
        of medicine, physician assistants, nursing, dentistry, 
        pharmacy, social work, psychology, marriage and family therapy, 
        or health services administration; or
            ``(2) a private nonprofit or public entity that is a 
        university, college, or other professional school.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary 
for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2027.''.
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