Title: YOUTH Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Youth Opioid Use Treatment Help Act of 2017 or the YOUTH Act
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to expand the grant program for substance abuse treatment services for children and adolescents to cover young adults.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) must award grants for demonstration programs to: (1) expand access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders among adolescents and young adults, or (2) create and distribute resources on medication-assisted treatment training and implementation for health care providers of children, adolescents, and young adults.
AHRQ must report on the demonstration programs and the availability of medication-assisted treatment for adolescents and young adults. The report must include recommendations for ensuring such treatment is accessible.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2055 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2055

To amend the Public Health Service Act to better address substance use 
            and substance use disorders among young people.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 1, 2017

Mr. Peters (for himself and Mrs. Capito) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to better address substance use 
            and substance use disorders among young people.

    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 ``Youth Opioid Use Treatment Help Act 
of 2017'' or the ``YOUTH Act''.

SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT SERVICES FOR 
              CHILDREN, ADOLESCENTS, AND YOUNG ADULTS.

    Section 514 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb-7) is 
amended--
            (1) in the section heading, by striking ``children and 
        adolescents'' and inserting ``children, adolescents, and young 
        adults'';
            (2) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ``children, 
        including'' and inserting ``children, adolescents, and young 
        adults, including''; and
            (3) by striking ``children and adolescents'' each place it 
        appears and inserting ``children, adolescents, and young 
        adults''.

SEC. 3. ACCESS TO MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT FOR ADOLESCENTS AND 
              YOUNG ADULTS DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting 
through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality 
(in this section referred to as the ``Director''), shall award grants 
to eligible entities to establish demonstration programs to--
            (1) expand access to medication-assisted treatment for 
        opioid use disorders among adolescents and young adults;
            (2) identify and test solutions for overcoming barriers to 
        implementation of medication-assisted treatment for adolescents 
        and young adults; or
            (3) create and distribute resources on medication-assisted 
        treatment training and implementation for providers of health 
        care to children, adolescents, and young adults.
    (b) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
subsection (a), an entity shall--
            (1) be a State, political subdivision of a State, Indian 
        tribe, or tribal organization, professional family medicine 
        provider organization, professional pediatric provider 
        organization or other organization representing providers of 
        health care to children, adolescents, and young adults, 
        professional addiction medicine provider organization, 
        hospital, an institution of higher education, or other 
        appropriate public or nonprofit institution; and
            (2) certify that it is in compliance with all applicable 
        registration and licensing requirements.
    (c) Application.--To seek a grant under this section, an entity 
shall submit to the Director an application at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information as the Director may require.
    (d) Duration.--An eligible entity may receive funds under this 
section to carry out a demonstration program described in this section 
for a period of not greater than 3 years. After the first year for 
which funding is provided to an eligible entity for a demonstration 
program, funding may be provided under this section for a subsequent 
year for such program only upon review of such program by the Director 
and approval by the Director of such subsequent year of funding.
    (e) Reports.--
            (1) By grant recipients.--Each eligible entity awarded a 
        grant under this section for a demonstration program shall 
        submit to the Director progress reports on such demonstration 
        program at such times, in such manner, and containing such 
        information as the Director may require.
            (2) By director.--Not later than one year after the date on 
        which all demonstration programs funded under this section have 
        been completed, the Director shall submit to the Committee on 
        Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and the 
        Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
        Representatives a report that--
                    (A) describes the availability of medication-
                assisted treatment for adolescents and young adults 
                with opioid use disorders in the United States, 
                including barriers to such treatment;
                    (B) describes the specific demonstration programs 
                carried out pursuant to this section;
                    (C) evaluates the effectiveness of such programs;
                    (D) evaluates any unintended consequences of such 
                programs; and
                    (E) provides recommendations for ensuring that 
                medication-assisted treatment is accessible to 
                adolescents and young adults with opioid use disorders.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The phrase ``adolescents and young adults'' means 
        individuals who have attained 10 years of age and not yet 
        attained 26 years of age.
            (2) The term ``medication-assisted treatment'' means the 
        combination of pharmacological treatments approved by the Food 
        and Drug Administration, and counseling and behavioral 
        therapies, for the treatment of substance use disorders.
            (3) The term ``opioid use disorder'' means a problematic 
        pattern of opioid use leading to clinically significant 
        impairment or distress occurring within a 12-month period.
            (4) The term ``pediatric health care provider'' means a 
        provider of health care to individuals who have attained 10 
        years of age and not yet attained 26 years of age.
            (5) The term ``professional family medicine provider 
        organization'' means a national organization whose members 
        consist primarily of family medicine providers.
            (6) The term ``professional pediatric provider 
        organization'' means a national organization whose members 
        consist primarily of pediatric health care providers.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $5,000,000 to carry out this section.
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