[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4358 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4358

  To amend the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary to 
 establish a grant program under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration to address substance use disorders among older 
                    adults, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 16, 2024

Mr. Casey (for himself, Mr. Fetterman, Ms. Warren, Mr. Blumenthal, and 
 Mrs. Gillibrand) introduced the following bill; which was read twice 
and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary to 
 establish a grant program under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration to address substance use disorders among older 
                    adults, 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 ``Preventing and Treating Substance 
Use Disorders Among Older Adults Act''.

SEC. 2. SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER TREATMENT AND EARLY INTERVENTION 
              SERVICES FOR OLDER ADULTS.

    Subpart 1 of part B of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 290bb et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 514C. SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER TREATMENT AND EARLY INTERVENTION 
              SERVICES FOR OLDER ADULTS.

    ``(a) Definition of Older Adult.--In this section, the term `older 
adult' means an individual aged 60 or older.
    ``(b) Authority To Award Grants.--The Secretary shall award grants, 
contracts, or cooperative agreements to public and private nonprofit 
entities, Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations (as such terms are 
defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education 
Assistance Act), or other health facilities or programs operated by or 
in accordance with a contract or grant with the Indian Health Service, 
for the purposes of--
            ``(1) providing early identification and services to meet 
        the needs of older adults who are at risk of substance use 
        disorders;
            ``(2) providing substance use disorder treatment and 
        prevention services for older adults, including older adults 
        with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders;
            ``(3) linking older adults to resources, either in the 
        community or within long-term care settings where they reside, 
        to support independent lives; and
            ``(4) providing integrated care and comprehensive care 
        coordination for substance use disorders and other health 
        conditions.
    ``(c) Priority.--In awarding grants, contracts, or cooperative 
agreements under subsection (b), the Secretary shall give priority to 
applicants who propose to--
            ``(1) apply evidence-informed and cost-effective methods;
            ``(2) improve data collection on the scope of substance use 
        among older adults, the scope of availability and utilization 
        of treatment and prevention services, and the scope of 
        integrated care;
            ``(3) coordinate and collect data on the provision of 
        services with other social service agencies in the community, 
        including congregate care, substance use, and mental health 
        agencies;
            ``(4) provide a continuum of integrated treatment services, 
        including case management and primary care services, for older 
        adults with substance use disorders, including older adults 
        with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders, 
        and their families and caregivers;
            ``(5) provide treatment that is person-centered, culturally 
        appropriate, and age-sensitive;
            ``(6) involve and work with peers and families and 
        caregivers of older adults receiving services; and
            ``(7) provide continuing care services for older adults and 
        their families following the completion of a treatment episode.
    ``(d) Duration of Grants.--The Secretary shall award grants, 
contracts, or cooperative agreements under subsection (b) for periods 
not to exceed 5 fiscal years.
    ``(e) Application.--An entity desiring a grant, contract, or 
cooperative agreement under subsection (b) shall submit an application 
to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such 
information as the Secretary may reasonably require.
    ``(f) Evaluation.--An entity that receives a grant, contract, or 
cooperative agreement under subsection (b) shall submit, in the 
application for such grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, a plan 
for the evaluation of any project undertaken with funds provided under 
this section. Such entity shall provide the Secretary with periodic 
evaluations of the progress of such project and such evaluation at the 
completion of such project as the Secretary determines to be 
appropriate.
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2025 through 2029.''.

SEC. 3. EVIDENCE-BASED DRUGS AND ALCOHOL TREATMENT AND INTERVENTIONS 
              DEMONSTRATION.

    Subpart 1 of part B of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 290bb et seq.) (as amended by section 2) is amended by adding at 
the end the following:

``SEC. 514D. EVIDENCE-BASED DRUGS AND ALCOHOL TREATMENT AND 
              INTERVENTIONS DEMONSTRATION.

    ``(a) Grants To Expand Access.--
            ``(1) Authority to award grants.--The Secretary shall award 
        grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to State substance 
        use disorder agencies, units of local government, United States 
        territories, and Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations (as 
        defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and 
        Education Assistance Act) that have a high rate of, or have had 
        a rapid increase in, the misuse of alcohol or prescription or 
        illicit drugs, including opioids, in order to permit such 
        entities to expand activities, including an expansion in the 
        availability of evidence-based medications for substance use 
        disorder treatment and other clinically appropriate services 
        with respect to the treatment of substance use disorders in the 
        specific geographical areas of such entities where there is a 
        high rate of, or rapid increase in, the misuse of alcohol or 
        prescription or illicit drugs, including opioids, or specific 
        geographical areas where there is a high rate of unmet need for 
        treatment, such as in rural areas and among communities of 
        color.
            ``(2) Nature of activities.--Funds awarded under paragraph 
        (1) shall be used for activities that are based on reliable 
        scientific evidence of efficacy in the treatment of substance 
        use disorders.
    ``(b) Application.--To be eligible for a grant, contract, or 
cooperative agreement under subsection (a), an entity shall submit an 
application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
accompanied by such information as the Secretary may reasonably 
require.
    ``(c) Evaluation.--An entity that receives a grant, contract, or 
cooperative agreement under subsection (a) shall submit, in the 
application for such grant, contract, or agreement a plan for the 
evaluation of any project undertaken with funds provided under this 
section. Such entity shall provide the Secretary with periodic 
evaluations of the progress of such project and an evaluation at the 
completion of such project as the Secretary determines to be 
appropriate.
    ``(d) Geographic Distribution.--In awarding grants, contracts, and 
cooperative agreements under this section, the Secretary shall ensure 
that not less than 15 percent of funds are awarded to eligible entities 
that are not located in metropolitan statistical areas (as defined by 
the Office of Management and Budget). The Secretary shall take into 
account the unique needs of rural communities, including communities 
with an incidence of individuals with substance use disorder that is 
above the national average and communities with a shortage of 
prevention and treatment services.
    ``(e) Additional Activities.--In administering grants, contracts, 
and cooperative agreements under subsection (a), the Secretary shall--
            ``(1) evaluate the activities supported under such 
        subsection;
            ``(2) disseminate information, as appropriate, derived from 
        evaluations as the Secretary considers appropriate;
            ``(3) provide States, Indian Tribes and Tribal 
        organizations, and providers with technical assistance in 
        connection with the provision of treatment of substance use 
        disorder; and
            ``(4) fund only those applications that specifically 
        support recovery services as a critical component of the 
        program involved.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there are authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2025 through 2029.''.
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