Title: STOP Fentanyl Deaths Act of 2018
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Surveillance and Testing of Opioids to Prevent Fentanyl Deaths Act of 2018 or the STOP Fentanyl Deaths Act of 2018
This bill establishes and expands programs to support increased detection and monitoring of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, and also establishes a pilot program for point-of-use testing of illicit drugs for dangerous contaminants.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5580 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5580

  To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct 
programs to address the usage of illicit drugs, particularly fentanyl, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 23, 2018

Ms. Kuster of New Hampshire (for herself, Mr. MacArthur, Mr. Jenkins of 
 West Virginia, and Mr. Norcross) introduced the following bill; which 
          was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct 
programs to address the usage of illicit drugs, particularly fentanyl, 
                        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 ``Surveillance and Testing of Opioids 
to Prevent Fentanyl Deaths Act of 2018'' or the ``STOP Fentanyl Deaths 
Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORIES TO DETECT FENTANYL.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in 
this section referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall establish a 
program to award grants to Federal, State, and local agencies for the 
establishment or operation of public health laboratories to detect 
fentanyl, its analogues, and other synthetic opioids, as described in 
subsection (b).
    (b) Standards.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant 
Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, and in consultation with 
the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 
shall--
            (1) develop standards for effectively handling and testing 
        fentanyl, its analogues, and other synthetic opioids; and
            (2) include in such standards procedures for encountering 
        new and emerging synthetic opioid formulations and reporting 
        those findings to other Federal, State, and local public health 
        laboratories.
    (c) Laboratories.--Each public health laboratory funded under 
subsection (a) shall--
            (1) agree to follow the standards established under 
        subsection (b) and be capable of providing systematic and 
        routine laboratory testing of drugs for the purposes of 
        obtaining and disseminating public health information to 
        Federal, State, and local public health officials, 
        laboratories, and other entities the Secretary deems 
        appropriate;
            (2) work with law enforcement agencies and public health 
        authorities to develop real-time information on the purity and 
        movement of fentanyl, its analogues, and other synthetic 
        opioids;
            (3) assist State and local law enforcement agencies in 
        testing seized drugs when State and local forensic laboratories 
        request additional assistance; and
            (4) provide early warning information and advice to 
        Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies and public 
        health authorities of potential significant changes in the 
        supply of fentanyl, its analogues, and other synthetic opioids.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $15,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2018 through 2022.

SEC. 3. ENHANCED FENTANYL SURVEILLANCE.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention shall enhance its drug surveillance program by--
            (1) expanding its surveillance program to include all 50 
        States and the territories of the United States;
            (2) increasing and accelerating the collection of data on 
        fentanyl, its analogues, and other synthetic opioids, including 
        related overdose data from medical examiners and drug treatment 
        admissions; and
            (3) utilizing available and emerging information on 
        fentanyl, its analogues, and other synthetic opioids, 
        including--
                    (A) the National Drug Early Warning System;
                    (B) State and local public health authorities; and
                    (C) Federal, State, and local public health 
                laboratories.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2018 through 2022.

SEC. 4. PILOT PROGRAM FOR POINT-OF-USE TESTING OF ILLICIT DRUGS FOR 
              DANGEROUS CONTAMINANTS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting 
through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, in 
coordination with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, shall--
            (1) establish a pilot program through which 5 State or 
        local agencies conduct, in 5 States, point-of-use testing of 
        illicit drugs for dangerous contaminants;
            (2) establish metrics to evaluate the success of the pilot 
        program in reducing drug overdose rates; and
            (3) based on such metrics, conduct an annual evaluation of 
        the pilot program and submit an annual report to the Congress 
        containing the results of such evaluation.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2018 through 2022.
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