Title: Synthetic Opioid Danger Awareness Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Synthetic Opioid Danger Awareness Act
This bill requires several federal agencies to provide education and training related to synthetic opioids, including fentanyl and its analogues.
Specifically, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must launch a public education campaign on the dangers of synthetic opioids and related issues, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) must produce training materials to prevent exposure to synthetic opioids for first responders and others who are at high risk of such exposure. In addition, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration must disseminate the NIOSH training to ambulance transport personnel, local sheriff deputies, and other first responders and individuals in high-risk occupations.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2364 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2364

   To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to direct the 
   Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease 
 Control and Prevention, to provide for a public education campaign to 
              raise public awareness of synthetic opioids.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 5, 2021

   Mr. Kim of New Jersey (for himself and Mr. Pappas) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to direct the 
   Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease 
 Control and Prevention, to provide for a public education campaign to 
              raise public awareness of synthetic opioids.

    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 ``Synthetic Opioid Danger Awareness 
Act''.

SEC. 2. SYNTHETIC OPIOIDS PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN.

    Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act is amended by 
inserting after section 317U (42 U.S.C. 247b-23) the following new 
section:

``SEC. 317V. SYNTHETIC OPIOIDS PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN.

    ``(a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Secretary, acting through the Director 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall provide for 
the planning and implementation of a public education campaign to raise 
public awareness of synthetic opioids (including fentanyl and its 
analogues). Such campaign shall include the dissemination of 
information that--
            ``(1) promotes awareness about the potency and dangers of 
        fentanyl and its analogues and other synthetic opioids;
            ``(2) explains services provided by the Substance Abuse and 
        Mental Health Services Administration and the Centers for 
        Disease Control and Prevention (and any entity providing such 
        services under a contract entered into with such agencies) with 
        respect to the abuse of opioids, particularly as such services 
        relate to the provision of alternative, non-opioid pain 
        management treatments; and
            ``(3) relates generally to opioid use and pain management.
    ``(b) Use of Media.--The campaign under subsection (a) may be 
implemented through the use of television, radio, internet, in-person 
public communications, and other commercial marketing venues and may be 
targeted to specific age groups.
    ``(c) Consultation.--In coordinating the campaign under subsection 
(a), the Secretary, acting through the Director shall consult with the 
Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use to provide 
ongoing advice on the effectiveness of information disseminated through 
the campaign.
    ``(d) Requirement of Campaign.--The campaign implemented under 
subsection (a) shall not be duplicative of any other Federal efforts 
relating to eliminating the abuse of opioids.
    ``(e) Evaluation.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director, shall ensure that the campaign implemented under 
        subsection (a) is subject to an independent evaluation, 
        beginning 2 years after the date of the enactment of this 
        section, and every 2 years thereafter.
            ``(2) Measures and benchmarks.--For purposes of an 
        evaluation conducted pursuant to paragraph (1), the Secretary 
        shall--
                    ``(A) establish baseline measures and benchmarks to 
                quantitatively evaluate the impact of the campaign 
                under this section; and
                    ``(B) conduct qualitative assessments regarding the 
                effectiveness of strategies employed under this 
                section.
    ``(f) Report.--The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall, 
beginning 2 years after the date of the enactment of this section, and 
every 2 years thereafter, submit to Congress a report on the 
effectiveness of the campaign implemented under subsection (a) towards 
meeting the measures and benchmarks established under subsection 
(e)(2).
    ``(g) Dissemination of Information Through Providers.--The 
Secretary, acting through the Director, shall develop and implement a 
plan for the dissemination of information related to synthetic opioids, 
to health care providers who participate in Federal programs, including 
programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, 
the Indian Health Service, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the 
Department of Defense, and the Health Resources and Services 
Administration, the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social 
Security Act, and the Medicaid program under title XIX of such Act.''.

SEC. 3. TRAINING GUIDE AND OUTREACH ON SYNTHETIC OPIOID EXPOSURE 
              PREVENTION.

    (a) Training Guide.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
acting through the National Institute for Occupational Safety and 
Health, shall design, publish, and make publicly available on the 
internet website of the Institute, a training guide and webinar for 
first responders and other individuals who also may be at high risk of 
exposure to synthetic opioids that details measures to prevent that 
exposure.
    (b) Outreach.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
acting through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance 
Use, shall also conduct outreach about the availability of the training 
guide and webinar published under subsection (a) to--
            (1) police and fire managements;
            (2) sheriff deputies in city and county jails;
            (3) ambulance transport and hospital emergency room 
        personnel;
            (4) clinicians; and
            (5) other high-risk occupations, as identified by the 
        Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use.
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