[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1277 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1277

 To establish a commission for the purpose of coordinating efforts to 
        reduce prescription drug abuse, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 10, 2013

  Mrs. Boxer introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish a commission for the purpose of coordinating efforts to 
        reduce prescription drug abuse, 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 ``Combating Prescription Drug Abuse 
Act''.

SEC. 2. COMMISSION.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established the Combating Prescription 
Drug Abuse Commission (referred to in this Act as the ``Commission'').
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) Appointment.--The Commission shall be composed of 30 
        members. Such members shall be appointed by the Comptroller 
        General of the United States, in consultation with the 
        Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney 
        General.
            (2) Composition.--The members appointed under paragraph (1) 
        shall include an equitable balance of individuals representing 
        health care groups and law enforcement groups, including--
                    (A) a representative of the Drug Enforcement 
                Administration;
                    (B) a representative of the Food and Drug 
                Administration;
                    (C) a representative of the Office of National Drug 
                Control Policy;
                    (D) representatives of patient, advocacy, and 
                community-based groups;
                    (E) representatives of pharmacy, prescribers, 
                hospitals, wholesalers, dispensers, manufacturers, and 
                other health care groups;
                    (F) public policy experts;
                    (G) representatives of State attorneys general; and
                    (H) representatives of law enforcement officials, 
                including local law enforcement officials.
            (3) Date of appointment.--The appointments of the members 
        of the Commission shall be made not later than 180 days after 
        the date of enactment of this Act.
            (4) Co-chairs.--The representative of the Drug Enforcement 
        Administration and the representative of the Food and Drug 
        Administration shall serve as Co-Chairs of the Commission.
            (5) Period of appointment; vacancies.--Members shall be 
        appointed for the life of the Commission. Any vacancy in the 
        Commission shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in 
        the same manner as the original appointment.
    (c) Meetings.--The Commission shall meet at the call of the Co-
Chairs. The Commission shall meet for at least 2 public meetings, at 
which the Commission shall provide opportunity for public input, 
comment, and suggestion.
    (d) Duties of the Commission.--
            (1) In general.--The Commission shall--
                    (A) review and report to Congress on Federal 
                initiatives with respect to efforts to prevent and 
                reduce prescription drug abuse;
                    (B) identify gaps and opportunities with respect to 
                ensuring the safe use of prescription drugs with the 
                potential for diversion and abuse; and
                    (C) make recommendations on specific ways to reduce 
                diversion and abuse of prescription drugs.
            (2) Report.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall 
                issue a report to Congress that describes the efforts 
                of the Commission to prevent or reduce drug diversion 
                and abuse to ensure that patients continue to have 
                access to medications.
                    (B) Recommendations.--The report described in 
                subparagraph (A) shall include specific recommendations 
                for the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Food and 
                Drug Administration, and other Federal and State 
                agencies, as appropriate, and shall include the 
                following topics:
                            (i) Systems for prescription drug 
                        monitoring, which shall include proposals to 
                        increase the use and sustainability of 
                        prescription drug monitoring programs.
                            (ii) Illegal Internet prescription drug 
                        sites and ``pill mills'' that distribute 
                        prescription drugs and fill prescriptions 
                        inappropriately.
                            (iii) Facilitating proper disposal of 
                        prescription drugs, including public outreach 
                        and education efforts with respect to such 
                        proper disposal.
                            (iv) Identifying active areas of 
                        prescription drug abuse.
                            (v) Improving collaboration among Federal 
                        agencies, especially the Drug Enforcement 
                        Administration and the Food and Drug 
                        Administration.
                            (vi) Improving collaboration between 
                        Federal agencies and relevant stakeholders, 
                        including the groups represented on the 
                        Commission.
                            (vii) The resource needs for law 
                        enforcement.
                            (viii) Proposals to improve the education 
                        of providers, patients, parents, and youth.
                            (ix) Development of abuse-resistant 
                        products.
                            (x) Recommendations for reducing robberies, 
                        burglaries, and cargo theft.
    (e) Powers of the Commission.--
            (1) Hearings.--The Commission may hold such hearings, sit 
        and act at such times and places, take such testimony, and 
        receive such evidence as the Commission considers advisable to 
        carry out this section.
            (2) Information from federal agencies.--The Commission may 
        secure directly from any Federal department or agency such 
        information as the Commission considers necessary to carry out 
        this section. Upon the request of the Co-Chairs of the 
        Commission, the head of such department or agency shall furnish 
        such information to the Commission in a timely manner.
    (f) Confidentiality.--Information obtained by the Commission from 
any Federal agency shall be exempt from disclosure under section 552 of 
title 5, United States Code. For purposes of the preceding sentence, 
this subsection shall be considered a statute described in subsection 
(b)(3)(B) of such section 552.
    (g) Termination of the Commission.--The Commission shall terminate 
2 years after the date on which the members are appointed under 
subsection (b).
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
        $3,000,000 for fiscal years 2014 through 2016 to the Commission 
        to carry out this section.
            (2) Limitation on use of funds.--No funds appropriated 
        under paragraph (1) may be used to carry out the 
        recommendations of the Commission.
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