ALERT Communities Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1561 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1561

To require research with respect to fentanyl and xylazine test strips,
to authorize the use of grant funds for such test strips, and for other
                               purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 25, 2025

  Ms. Crockett (for herself and Mr. Gooden) introduced the following
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To require research with respect to fentanyl and xylazine test strips,
to authorize the use of grant funds for such test strips, 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 ``Advancing Lifesaving Efforts with
Rapid Test strips for Communities Act'' or the ``ALERT Communities
Act''.

SEC. 2. FIRST RESPONDER TRAINING.

    Section 546(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290ee-
1(c)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a
        semicolon;
            (2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period and inserting
        ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(5) train and provide resources for first responders and
        members of other relevant community sectors on carrying and
        facilitating access to fentanyl or xylazine test strips (as
        defined in section 5 of the Advancing Lifesaving Efforts with
        Rapid Test strips for Communities Act).''.

SEC. 3. RESEARCH AND MARKETING FRAMEWORKS FOR TEST STRIP TECHNOLOGY.

    The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with
the Director of the National Institutes of Health, the Director of the
Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Commissioner of Food and
Drugs, and the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration,
shall develop and make publicly available research and marketing
frameworks for developing, improving, and evaluating test strip
technology for detecting fentanyl and other dangerous substances. Such
frameworks shall--
            (1) include standards and guidance for manufacturers
        seeking to develop and test new test strip technology;
            (2) emphasize bringing new test strip technology intended
        for testing human specimens in clinical settings to support on-
        site clinical decision-making; and
            (3) include guidance on available authorization pathways
        for test strips described in paragraphs (1) and (2).

SEC. 4. STUDY ON FENTANYL TEST STRIP INTERVENTIONS.

    The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall--
            (1) conduct a study on the impact of the availability,
        accessibility, and usage of drug checking supplies, including
        test strips, on frequency of overdose, overdose deaths, and
        engagement in substance use disorder treatment; and
            (2) not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of
        this Act, submit to Congress a report on the study conducted
        under paragraph (1).

SEC. 5. DEFINITION.

    In this Act, the term ``test strip'' means a rapid response, single
use diagnostic that can be used to detect the adulteration of a drug
with, or the presence in a human specimen of, any substance that may
lead to increased morbidity or mortality, such as fentanyl, xylazine,
or another synthetic opioid or emerging substance.
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