[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5891 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5891

To establish an interagency task force to improve the Federal response 
           to families impacted by substance abuse disorders.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 21, 2018

Mr. Grothman (for himself and Mr. Lamb) introduced the following bill; 
   which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish an interagency task force to improve the Federal response 
           to families impacted by substance abuse disorders.

    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 ``Improving the Federal Response to 
Families Impacted by Substance Use Disorder Act''.

SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE TO IMPROVE THE FEDERAL RESPONSE TO 
              FAMILIES IMPACTED BY SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a task force, to be known 
as the ``Interagency Task Force to Improve the Federal Response to 
Families Impacted by Substance Use Disorders'' (in this section 
referred to as ``Task Force'').
    (b) Responsibilities.--The Task Force--
            (1) shall identify, evaluate, and recommend ways in which 
        Federal agencies can better coordinate responses to substance 
        use disorders and the opioid crisis; and
            (2) shall carry out the additional duties described in 
        subsection (d).
    (c) Membership.--
            (1) Number and appointment.--The Task Force shall be 
        composed of 12 Federal officials having responsibility for, or 
        administering programs related to, the duties of the Task 
        Force. The Secretary of Health and Human Services, the 
        Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the 
        Secretary of Labor shall each appoint two members to the Task 
        Force from among the Federal officials employed by the 
        Department of which they are the head. Additional Federal 
        agency officials appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services shall fill the remaining positions of the Task Force.
            (2) Chairperson.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services shall designate a Federal official employed by the 
        Department of Health and Human Services to serve as the 
        chairperson of the Task Force.
            (3) Deadline for appointment.--Each member shall be 
        appointed to the Task Force not later than 60 days after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act.
            (4) Additional agency input.--The Task Force may seek input 
        from other Federal agencies and offices with experience, 
        expertise, or information relevant in responding to the opioid 
        crisis.
            (5) Vacancies.--A vacancy in the Task Force shall be filled 
        in the manner in which the original appointment was made.
            (6) Prohibition of compensation.--Members of the Task Force 
        may not receive pay, allowances, or benefits by reason of their 
        service on the Task Force.
    (d) Duties.--The Task Force shall carry out the following duties:
            (1) Solicit input from stakeholders, including frontline 
        service providers, medical professionals, educators, mental 
        health professionals, researchers, experts in infant, child, 
        and youth trauma, child welfare professionals, and the public, 
        in order to inform the activities of the Task Force.
            (2) Develop a strategy on how the Task Force and 
        participating Federal agencies will collaborate, prioritize, 
        and implement a coordinated Federal approach with regard to 
        responding to substance use disorders, including opioid misuse, 
        that shall include--
                    (A) identifying options for the coordination of 
                existing grants that support infants, children, and 
                youth, and their families as appropriate, who have 
                experienced, or are at risk of experiencing, exposure 
                to substance abuse disorders, including opioid misuse; 
                and
                    (B) other ways to improve coordination, planning, 
                and communication within and across Federal agencies, 
                offices, and programs, to better serve children and 
                families impacted by substance use disorders, including 
                opioid misuse.
            (3) Based off the strategy developed under paragraph (2), 
        evaluate and recommend opportunities for local- and State-level 
        partnerships, professional development, or best practices 
        that--
                    (A) are designed to quickly identify and refer 
                children and families, as appropriate, who have 
                experienced or are at risk of experiencing exposure to 
                substance abuse;
                    (B) utilize and develop partnerships with early 
                childhood education programs, local social services 
                organizations, and health care services aimed at 
                preventing or mitigating the effects of exposure to 
                substance use disorders, including opioid misuse;
                    (C) offer community-based prevention activities, 
                including educating families and children on the 
                effects of exposure to substance use disorders, 
                including opioid misuse, and how to build resilience 
                and coping skills to mitigate those effects;
                    (D) in accordance with Federal privacy protections, 
                utilize non-personally identifiable data from 
                screenings, referrals, or the provision of services and 
                supports to evaluate and improve processes addressing 
                exposure to substance use disorders, including opioid 
                misuse; and
                    (E) are designed to prevent separation and support 
                reunification of families if in the best interest of 
                the child.
            (4) In fulfilling the requirements of paragraphs (2) and 
        (3), consider evidence-based, evidence-informed, and promising 
        best practices related to identifying, referring, and 
        supporting children and families at risk of experiencing 
        exposure to substance abuse or experiencing substance use 
        disorder, including opioid misuse, including--
                    (A) prevention strategies for those at risk of 
                experiencing or being exposed to substance abuse, 
                including misuse of opioids;
                    (B) whole-family and multi-generational approaches;
                    (C) community-based initiatives;
                    (D) referral to, and implementation of, trauma-
                informed practices and supports; and
                    (E) multi-generational practices that assist 
                parents, foster parents, and kinship and other 
                caregivers
    (e) FACA.--The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. 2) 
shall not apply to the Task Force.
    (f) Action Plan; Reports.--The Task Force--
            (1) shall prepare a detailed action plan to be implemented 
        by participating Federal agencies to create a collaborative, 
        coordinated response to the opioid crisis, which shall 
        include--
                    (A) relevant information identified and collected 
                under subsection (d);
                    (B) a proposed timeline for implementing 
                recommendations and efforts identified under subsection 
                (d); and
                    (C) a description of how other Federal agencies and 
                offices with experience, expertise, or information 
                relevant in responding to the opioid crisis that have 
                provided input under subsection (c)(4) will be 
                participating in the coordinated approach;
            (2) shall submit to the Congress a report describing the 
        action plan prepared under paragraph (1), including, where 
        applicable, identification of any recommendations included in 
        such plan that require additional legislative authority to 
        implement; and
            (3) shall submit a report to the Governors describing the 
        opportunities for local- and State-level partnerships, 
        professional development, or best practices recommended under 
        subsection (d)(3).
    (g) Dissemination.--
            (1) In general.--The action plan and reports required under 
        subsection (f) shall be--
                    (A) disseminated widely, including among the 
                participating Federal agencies and the Governors; and
                    (B) be made publicly available online in an 
                accessible format.
            (2) Deadline.--The action plan and reports required under 
        subsection (f) may be released on separate dates but shall be 
        released not later than 9 months after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act.
    (h) Termination.--The Task Force shall terminate 30 days after the 
dissemination of the action plan and reports under subsection (g).
    (i) Funding.--The administrative expenses of the Task Force shall 
be paid out of existing Department of Health and Human Services funds 
or appropriations.
    (j) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
            (1) The term ``Governor'' means the chief executive officer 
        of a State.
            (2) The term ``participating Federal agencies'' means all 
        the Executive agencies (as defined in section 105 of title 5, 
        United States Code) whose officials have been appointed to the 
        Task Force.
            (3) The term ``State'' means each of the several States, 
        the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
        Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of 
        the Northern Mariana Islands.
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