Fighting Opioid Abuse in Transportation Act

Bill: 115-s-2848
Sponsor: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD]
Introduced: 2018-05-15 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Congressional oversight
Department of Transportation
Drug trafficking and controlled substances
Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Licensing and registrations
Motor carriers
Motor vehicles
Railroads
Transportation employees
Transportation safety and security
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2018-05-15
text: 

Fighting Opioid Abuse in Transportation Act

 
This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to publish a final rule revising regulations for alcohol and controlled substances testing to designate rail mechanical employees and yardmasters as railroad employee responsible for safety-sensitive functions. 
 
 The General Accountability Office shall review DOT's Drug and Alcohol Testing Management Information System and submit to Congress a report on the review, including appropriate recommendations.
 
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall determine whether a revision of the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs to expand the opiate category on the list of authorized drug testing to include fentanyl is justified, based on the reliability and cost-effectiveness of available testing.
 
If the expansion of the opiate category is determined to be justified, HHS shall publish a final notice of the revision of the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs to expand the opiate category on the list of authorized drug testing to include fentanyl.
 
If the expansion of the opiate category is determined to be justified, and DOT concurs with that determination, DOT shall publish a final rule revising regulations for procedures for transportation workplace drug and alcohol testing programs to include fentanyl in DOT's drug-testing panel, consistent with the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs as revised by HHS.
 
 HHS shall: (1) submit to Congress a report on the status of the hair testing guidelines, and (2) publish a final notice of the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs using Oral Fluid. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-06-27
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 491.
action_date: 2018-06-27
text: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Thune with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 115-286.
action_date: 2018-06-27
text: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Thune with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 115-286.
action_date: 2018-05-22
text: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2018-05-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2018-05-15
text: Introduced in Senate