Title: Addiction Recovery for Rural Communities Act
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Addiction Recovery for Rural Communities Act
This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide financial assistance for the construction of facilities and systems in rural areas for substance-use disorder services.
In selecting recipients of loans and grants to establish community facilities, USDA must give priority to developers of facilities that: (1) provide substance use disorder prevention, treatment, or recovery services; and (2) employ staff with expertise and training in identifying and treating individuals with substance-use disorders.
In providing grants to establish individual and family health education programs, USDA must give priority to entities intending to use the funds for substance-use disorder education, treatment, and prevention.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3566 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3566

  To strengthen resources to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic in 
                   rural communities across America.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2017

 Mrs. Bustos (for herself, Mr. Crawford, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Evans, and 
 Ms. Kuster of New Hampshire) introduced the following bill; which was 
                referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To strengthen resources to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic in 
                   rural communities across America.

    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 ``Addiction Recovery for Rural 
Communities Act''.

SEC. 2. DISTANCE LEARNING AND TELEMEDICINE.

    Section 2333(c) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade 
Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 950aaa-2(c)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
            ``(5) Substance use disorder treatment services.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the 
                Secretary shall make available not less than 20 percent 
                of amounts made available under section 2335A for 
                financial assistance under this chapter for substance 
                use disorder treatment services.
                    ``(B) Exception.--In the case of a fiscal year for 
                which the Secretary determines that there are not 
                sufficient qualified applicants to receive financial 
                assistance for substance use disorder treatment 
                services to reach the 20-percent requirement under 
                subparagraph (A), the Secretary may make available less 
                than 20 percent of amounts made available under section 
                2335A for those services.''.

SEC. 3. COMMUNITY FACILITIES DIRECT LOANS AND GRANTS.

    Section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act 
(7 U.S.C. 1926(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(27) Direct Loans and Grants for Substance Use Disorder Treatment 
Services.--
            ``(A) Selection priority.--In selecting recipients of loans 
        or grants (not including loans guaranteed by the Secretary) for 
        the development of essential community facilities under this 
        section, the Secretary shall give priority to entities eligible 
        for those loans or grants--
                    ``(i) to develop facilities to provide substance 
                use disorder (including opioid substance use 
                disorder)--
                            ``(I) prevention services;
                            ``(II) treatment services;
                            ``(III) recovery services; or
                            ``(IV) any combination of those services; 
                        and
                    ``(ii) that employ staff that have appropriate 
                expertise and training in how to identify and treat 
                individuals with substance use disorders.
            ``(B) Use of funds.--An eligible entity described in 
        subparagraph (A) that receives a loan or grant described in 
        that subparagraph may use the loan or grant funds for the 
        development of telemedicine facilities and systems to provide 
        telemedicine for substance use disorder treatment.''.

SEC. 4. RURAL HEALTH AND SAFETY EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--Section 502(i) of the Rural Development Act of 
1972 (7 U.S.C. 2662(i)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (6); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
            ``(5) Substance use disorder education and prevention.--In 
        making grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall give 
        priority to an applicant that will use the grant for substance 
        use disorder education and treatment and the prevention of 
        substance use disorder.''.
    (b) Technical Amendments.--Title V of the Rural Development Act of 
1972 (7 U.S.C. 2661 et seq.) (as amended by subsection (a)) is 
amended--
            (1) in section 502, in the matter preceding subsection (a), 
        by inserting ``(referred to in this title as the `Secretary')'' 
        after ``Agriculture''; and
            (2) by striking ``Secretary of Agriculture'' each place it 
        appears (other than in section 502 in the matter preceding 
        subsection (a)) and inserting ``Secretary''.
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