HERO Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7994 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7994

 To establish a grant program to provide schools with opioid overdose
reversal drugs, to direct schools receiving Federal funds to report to
   certain Federal information systems any distribution of an opioid
            overdose reversal drug, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 19, 2026

   Mr. Ruiz introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
 Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on
Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To establish a grant program to provide schools with opioid overdose
reversal drugs, to direct schools receiving Federal funds to report to
   certain Federal information systems any distribution of an opioid
            overdose reversal drug, 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 ``Helping Educators Respond to
Overdoses Act'' or the ``HERO Act''.

SEC. 2. SCHOOL GRANTS FOR OPIOID OVERDOSE REVERSAL DRUGS.

    (a) In General.--Beginning not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services,
acting through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance
Use (in this section referred to as the ``Secretary''), in consultation
with the Secretary of Education, shall award grants, on a competitive
basis, to eligible entities--
            (1) to purchase opioid overdose reversal drugs that are
        approved under section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug, and
        Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 355); and
            (2) to develop and implement the educational programming or
        resources referred to in subsection (b)(2)(C).
    (b) Applications.--
            (1) In general.--To be eligible for a grant under this
        section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an
        application in such form, at such time, and containing such
        information as the Secretary determines appropriate, which
        shall include the material required under paragraph (2).
            (2) Application requirements.--An application submitted by
        an eligible entity under paragraph (1) shall include the
        following:
                    (A) A description of how the eligible entity will
                use a grant received under this section.
                    (B) An assurance that the eligible entity will, in
                consultation with the local health department, develop
                and implement--
                            (i) in the case of an eligible entity that
                        is a private school, a comprehensive emergency
                        response plan for the staff of the school; and
                            (ii) in the case of an eligible entity that
                        is a local educational agency, such a plan for
                        the staff of each school that is served by the
                        local educational agency.
                    (C) An assurance that the eligible entity will
                develop and implement educational programming or
                resources (which may include programming or resources
                developed by the Secretary) to promote student and
                community knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation
                (commonly known as ``CPR''), drug-use prevention and
                intervention, and emergency responses to drug
                overdoses.
    (c) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary
shall give priority to any eligible entity that is in a city or county
with a high rate of drug overdoses involving opioids.
    (d) Grant Period.--A grant awarded under this section shall be for
a period of 1 year.
    (e) Reports.--
            (1) Grant recipients.--Not later than 1 year after the date
        on which the grant period referred to in subsection (d) ends,
        the recipient of a grant under this section shall submit to the
        Secretary a report that contains the following:
                    (A) A description of the use the recipient made of
                the opioid overdose reversal drugs purchased with the
                grant.
                    (B) A description of the comprehensive emergency
                response plan referred to in subsection (b)(2)(B).
                    (C) A description of the educational programming or
                resources referred to in subsection (b)(2)(C).
            (2) Secretary.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
        enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary,
        in consultation with the Secretary of Education, shall submit
        to Congress a report that summarizes all information received
        by the Secretary in the reports referred to in paragraph (1).
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Charter school.--The term ``charter school'' has the
        meaning given such term in section 4310 of the Elementary and
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7221i).
            (2) Elementary school, secondary school, and local
        educational agency.--The terms ``elementary school'',
        ``secondary school'', and ``local educational agency'' have the
        meanings given such terms, respectively, in section 8101 of the
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
        7801).
            (3) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
                    (A) a private elementary school or private
                secondary school; and
                    (B) a local educational agency, including a charter
                school that is a local educational agency, or a
                consortium of local educational agencies.

SEC. 3. REPORTING TO FEDERAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS OF SCHOOL DISTRIBUTION
              OF OPIOID OVERDOSE REVERSAL DRUGS.

    (a) In General.--Beginning not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, a covered educational institution receiving
Federal funds shall submit a description of any distribution of an
opioid overdose reversal drug by such institution to--
            (1) the National Emergency Medical Services Information
        System (commonly known as ``NEMSIS''); and
            (2) the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program of
        the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
        (commonly known as ``ODMAP'').
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Charter school.--The term ``charter school'' has the
        meaning given such term in section 4310 of the Elementary and
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7221i).
            (2) Covered educational institution.--The term ``covered
        educational institution'' means--
                    (A) a private elementary school or private
                secondary school; and
                    (B) a local educational agency, including a charter
                school that is a local educational agency.
            (3) Elementary school, secondary school, and local
        educational agency.--The terms ``elementary school'',
        ``secondary school'', and ``local educational agency'' have the
        meanings given such terms, respectively, in section 8101 of the
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
        7801).
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