Sponsors (4)
The bill broadens federal flexibility and funding to expand substance-use/behavioral-health services and put overdose treatment and training in K–12 schools, improving access and safety but creating risks of fund reallocation, higher federal costs, and administrative, financial, and legal burdens—especially for smaller schools and local entities.
People with substance use, behavioral health conditions, and chronic illnesses will have broader access to prevention, treatment, and capacity-building services because HHS may use grant funds more flexibly and a new section (544A) is authorized for appropriations, increasing federal support capacity for health programs.
K–12 students will gain quicker on-site access to emergency opioid overdose treatment, because schools can receive federal grants to purchase and maintain overdose drugs/devices and staff will receive required training, reducing the risk of fatal overdoses and lowering costs for districts.
State attorney general review requirements can clarify legal protections for school staff who respond to overdoses, reducing uncertainty about civil liability for responders.
Allowing expanded permitted uses of existing grant funds risks redirecting money away from current programs or priorities if additional appropriations are not provided, potentially weakening other services.
Authorizing appropriations for a new section (544A) increases federal spending pressure and could marginally raise budgetary costs or tradeoffs borne by taxpayers.
Smaller and private schools may struggle to meet requirements (trained personnel on-site during all operating hours), sustain ongoing supply and training costs if grants are limited/temporary, and navigate extensive application/documentation, producing administrative barriers and coverage gaps for students.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes HHS grants to supply overdose-reversal drugs/devices and require trained personnel and state liability-review certifications for K–12 schools.
Official title: To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide funding for trained school personnel to administer drugs and devices for emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 10, 2026 by Kelly Morrison · Last progress June 10, 2026
Authorizes the HHS Secretary to award grants to eligible entities so public and private K–12 schools can obtain and maintain drugs and devices for emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdoses (for example, naloxone). Grants require applications and certifications demonstrating that schools will keep an accessible supply on site, have trained personnel able to administer the medication during operating hours, and that applicable state civil liability protection laws have been reviewed. Also expands allowable uses and broadens the scope of appropriation authority in the underlying Public Health Service Act to cover the new school-focused grant program.