Title: Protecting Newborns from Opioids Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Protecting Newborns from Opioids Act
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to: (1) award grants to states to create or improve surveillance systems for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and analyze the data collected through the systems; and (2) conduct research on prevention, factors surrounding, and health outcomes of NAS. (NAS is a group of conditions caused when a baby withdraws from certain drugs the baby is exposed to in the womb before birth.)

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2658 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2658

 To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for systematic data 
 collection, analysis, and epidemiological research regarding neonatal 
                          abstinence syndrome.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 12, 2018

 Mr. Nelson (for himself and Mr. Rubio) 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 provide for systematic data 
 collection, analysis, and epidemiological research regarding neonatal 
                          abstinence syndrome.

    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 ``Protecting Newborns from Opioids 
Act''.

SEC. 2. NEONATAL ABSTINENCE SYNDROME RESEARCH AND SURVEILLANCE.

    Title III of the Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting 
after section 317L-1 (42 U.S.C. 247b-13a) the following:

``SEC. 317L-2. NEONATAL ABSTINENCE SYNDROME RESEARCH AND SURVEILLANCE.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (referred to in this 
section as the `Director'), shall--
            ``(1) award grants to States to create or improve 
        surveillance systems for neonatal abstinence syndrome, and 
        analyze the data collected through such State systems; and
            ``(2) conduct research on the prevention, factors 
        surrounding, and health outcomes of neonatal abstinence 
        syndrome.
    ``(b) NAS Surveillance.--
            ``(1) State grant program.--To provide support to States 
        receiving grants under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall 
        (directly or through grants or cooperative agreements to public 
        and nonprofit private entities)--
                    ``(A) cooperate with and assist States in 
                implementing a State-wide surveillance system to 
                rapidly determine the incidence and prevalence of 
                neonatal abstinence syndrome;
                    ``(B) include demographics and other information, 
                such as race, ethnicity, geographic location, and 
                family history;
                    ``(C) provide technical assistance to States to 
                improve identification of neonatal abstinence syndrome;
                    ``(D) ensure a pathway for data sharing between 
                States and the Centers for Disease Control and 
                Prevention; and
                    ``(E) ensure that data collection is consistent 
                with applicable State and Federal privacy laws.
            ``(2) CDC research.--The Director shall--
                    ``(A) collect data on neonatal abstinence syndrome 
                that States gather using grant funds under subsection 
                (a)(1);
                    ``(B) conduct analysis of such data to identify 
                national trends; and
                    ``(C) issue public reports on such analysis.
    ``(c) NAS Research.--In carrying out subsection (a)(2), the 
Secretary shall conduct new studies, or capitalize on existing studies, 
to research--
            ``(1) long-term physical, educational, and 
        neurodevelopmental outcomes of children affected by neonatal 
        abstinence syndrome;
            ``(2) the prevalence of, and reasons for, opioid use among 
        women who are pregnant or may become pregnant; and
            ``(3) the comparative effectiveness of available treatment 
        protocols for infants affected by neonatal abstinence syndrome.
    ``(d) 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 2019 through 2023.''.
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