Title: PIPES Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Preventing Illicit Paraphernalia for Exchange Systems Act or the PIPES Act
This bill restricts the use of funding made available through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for community-based overdose prevention programs, syringe services programs, and other harm reduction programs.
First, the bill prohibits the use of the act's funding to procure or distribute pipes or other paraphernalia that can be used to smoke, inhale, or ingest narcotics.
Second, the bill applies to the act's funding the conditions that apply to other funding from the Department of Health and Human Services for syringe services programs and needle exchange programs. The conditions require that programs (1) operate in a jurisdiction experiencing (or at risk for) increased transmission of hepatitis and HIV infections due to injection drug use, (2) use nonfederal funds for the purchase of syringes or needles, and (3) otherwise follow applicable laws.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6744 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6744

 To prohibit the use of Federal funds for local substance use disorder 
   services for the purchase of sterile needles or syringes for the 
injection of illegal drugs, or to procure, supply, or distribute pipes, 
cylindrical objects, or other paraphernalia that can be used to smoke, 
                      inhale, or ingest narcotics.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 15, 2022

Mr. McKinley (for himself, Ms. Malliotakis, and Mr. LaMalfa) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To prohibit the use of Federal funds for local substance use disorder 
   services for the purchase of sterile needles or syringes for the 
injection of illegal drugs, or to procure, supply, or distribute pipes, 
cylindrical objects, or other paraphernalia that can be used to smoke, 
                      inhale, or ingest narcotics.

    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 ``Preventing Illicit Paraphernalia for 
Exchange Systems Act'' or the ``PIPES Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN USES OF FUNDS.

    Section 2706 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 
117-2) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Prohibited Uses of Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        this section, no funds appropriated in this section shall be 
        used--
                    ``(A) subject to paragraph (2), to purchase sterile 
                needles or syringes for the hypodermic injection of any 
                illegal drug; or
                    ``(B) to procure, supply, or distribute pipes, 
                cylindrical objects, or other paraphernalia that can be 
                used to smoke, inhale, or ingest narcotics.
            ``(2) Exception.--The limitation under paragraph (1)(A) 
        does not apply to the use of funds for elements of a program 
        other than making purchases described in such paragraph if the 
        relevant State, local, territorial, or Tribal health 
        department, in consultation with the Centers for Disease 
        Control and Prevention, determines that the State, local, 
        territorial, or Tribal jurisdiction, as applicable, is 
        experiencing, or is at risk for, a significant increase in 
        hepatitis infections or an HIV outbreak due to injection drug 
        use, and such program is operating in accordance with 
        applicable law.''.
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