Plain Language Summary
# FACTS Act Summary The **Fentanyl Awareness for Children and Teens in Schools Act (HR 3130)** aims to combat synthetic opioid misuse among young people by funding prevention, treatment, and recovery programs in schools. If passed, the bill would direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to partnerships between schools and health organizations, and would allow school-based health centers to purchase naloxone—a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. The Department of Education would also be able to fund training for school staff on how to address students' synthetic opioid misuse. The bill primarily affects **middle and high school students**, school districts, educational organizations, and health providers.
Key provisions include grant funding for youth-focused opioid programs, access to naloxone in schools, and professional training for teachers and staff to recognize and respond to opioid misuse among students. **Current Status:** The bill is currently in committee and has not been voted on by either chamber of Congress. It was sponsored by Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-Oregon) in the 119th Congress.
CRS Official Summary
Fentanyl Awareness for Children and Teens in Schools Act or the FACTS ActThis bill establishes grant programs and requires strategies and studies to address the misuse of synthetic opioids (i.e., laboratory-derived substances such as fentanyl and its derivatives) among youth.The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to partnerships between educational and health organizations for prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts related to the use of synthetic opioids by middle and high school-aged children. It also allows school-based health centers to use existing HHS grants to purchase naloxone to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses and to establish programs to address misuse of synthetic opioids. Also, the bill authorizes state educational agencies to use certain Department of Education (ED) grant funds to provide training to school personnel on addressing students’ misuse of synthetic opioids. State and local educational agencies must also address such misuse in their educational plans in order to qualify for certain ED grants.Finally, the bill (1) establishes an interagency taskforce to coordinate federal efforts to address synthetic opioid misuse among youth, (2) requires an evaluation of the State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System’s effectiveness in identifying the specific synthetic opioids causing youth overdoses, (3) expands the data reported by the National Center for Education Statistics to include information about the use of synthetic opioids in schools, and (4) requires two recurring HHS surveys to include questions on youth exposure to synthetic opioids.
Latest Action
Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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.