Bruce's Law
Bill: H.R.9221 | Sponsor: Rep. Trone, David J. (D-MD)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Bruce's Law
This bill reauthorizes certain grants through FY2027 and sets out other activities to address drug overdoses, with a particular focus on contamination with fentanyl or other synthetic opioids.
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 and other synthetic opioids, including the risks of such substances contaminating counterfeit drugs.
The bill also establishes an interagency work group to coordinate and improve federal efforts to reduce and prevent overdoses caused by illegal drugs contaminated with fentanyl or other synthetic opioids. Work group members include the ONDCP, HHS, the Department of Justice, and the Department of State.

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 use.

    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 ``Bruce's Law''.

SEC. 2. AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS.

    (a) Opioid Program.--Section 102 of the Comprehensive Addiction and 
Recovery Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-198) is amended--
            (1) in the section heading, by inserting ``relating to 
        opioids'' after ``campaigns''; and
            (2) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``and'' after 
                the semicolon;
                    (B) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ``; and'' and 
                inserting a period; and
                    (C) by striking paragraph (3).
    (b) Additional Campaign.--Title I of the Comprehensive Addiction 
and Recovery Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-198) is amended by inserting 
after section 102 the following:

``SEC. 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 or other synthetic opioids and the lethality and other 
dangers of synthetic opioids.
    ``(b) Topics.--The education and awareness campaigns under 
subsection (a) shall address--
            ``(1) the dangers of using drugs which may be contaminated 
        with fentanyl or other synthetic opioids;
            ``(2) the prevention of substance use disorder and use of 
        drugs other than as prescribed, including through safe disposal 
        of prescription medications and other safety precautions; and
            ``(3) the detection of early warning signs of substance use 
        disorder and 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 the use of prescription drugs other than as 
prescribed and the use of drugs that can be contaminated by fentanyl or 
other opioids, including heroin.
    ``(d) Drug Defined.--In this section, the term `drug' means an 
illicit drug, such as marijuana, hashish, cocaine (including crack 
cocaine), inhalants, hallucinogens, heroin, a synthetic opioid, 
methamphetamine or other stimulant, a counterfeit prescription drug, or 
a prescription drug that is sold illegally.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated for fiscal years 2023 through 2027 such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this section.''.

SEC. 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), as amended by section 2(b), is further amended by 
inserting after section 102A the following:

``SEC. 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') shall establish the 
Federal Interagency Work Group on Fentanyl Contamination of Illegal 
Drugs (referred to in this section as the `Work Group').
    ``(b) Membership; Consultation.--
            ``(1) Composition.--Not later than 120 days after the date 
        of enactment of Bruce's Law, the heads of the Office of 
        National Drug Control Policy, the Substance Abuse and Mental 
        Health Services Administration, the Administration for Children 
        and Families, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
        the Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration, 
        the Department of State, the Department of Education, and other 
        Federal agencies (as determined by the Secretary) shall 
        designate representatives of the respective agency or office to 
        the Work Group.
            ``(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) individuals in recovery from use of fentanyl 
                other than as prescribed or use of other synthetic 
                opioids;
                    ``(C) family members of adults who have overdosed 
                by fentanyl-contaminated illegal drugs;
                    ``(D) family members of school-aged children and 
                youth who have overdosed by fentanyl-contaminated 
                illegal drugs;
                    ``(E) researchers and other experts in the design 
                and implementation of effective drug-related messaging 
                and prevention campaigns; and
                    ``(F) technology companies.
    ``(c) Duties.--The Work Group shall--
            ``(1) examine all Federal efforts directed towards reducing 
        and preventing drug overdose by fentanyl- or other synthetic 
        opioid-contaminated illegal drugs;
            ``(2) identify strategies, resources, and supports to 
        improve State, Tribal, and local responses to overdose by 
        fentanyl- or other synthetic opioid-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- or other synthetic opioid-contaminated illegal drugs; 
        and
            ``(4) make recommendations for educating youth on the 
        dangers of drugs contaminated by fentanyl or other synthetic 
        opioids.
    ``(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 and the Committee on Energy and Commerce 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 or other synthetic opioid 
contamination of illegal drugs, in all populations, and specifically 
among youth at risk for substance use disorder and use of drugs other 
than as prescribed.''.

SEC. 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)) is amended by striking ``2017 through 2021'' 
and inserting ``2023 through 2027''.

SEC. 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) is amended by inserting after section 103 the 
following:

``SEC. 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'), in 
coordination with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, may make grants to eligible entities to implement education 
of the public on the dangers of contamination of drugs with fentanyl or 
other synthetic opioids.
    ``(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' means an entity that--
                    ``(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 note); and
            ``(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 shall 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' means an 
illicit drug, such as marijuana, hashish, cocaine (including crack 
cocaine), inhalants, hallucinogens, heroin, a synthetic opioid, 
methamphetamine or other stimulant, a counterfeit prescription drug, or 
a prescription drug that is sold illegally.
    ``(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 2023 through 2027.''.
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