H.R. 1561 — ALERT Communities Act

This section expands the authorized activities under the first responder training grant program (i.e., grants to states to train emergency response providers on carrying naloxone and other opioid overdose reversal drugs) to also include training first responders and members of other relevant community sectors on carrying and facilitating access to fentanyl or xylazine test strips (as defined in section 5 of the Advancing Lifesaving Efforts with Rapid Test Strips for Communities Act).

This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Director of the National Institutes of Health, the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, and the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, to develop and make publicly available research and marketing frameworks for developing, improving, and evaluating test strip technology for detecting fentanyl and other dangerous substances. The frameworks must (1) include standards and guidance for manufacturers developing and testing new test strip technology; (2) emphasize test strips for human specimens in clinical settings to support on-site decision-making; and (3) provide guidance on authorization pathways for such test strips.

This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study on the impact of the availability, accessibility, and usage of drug checking supplies—including fentanyl test strips (i.e., equipment that detects fentanyl and other substances in illicit drugs to prevent overdoses)—on overdose frequency, overdose deaths, and engagement in substance use disorder treatment. The Secretary must submit a report on the study to Congress not later than two years after the date of enactment of this Act.

This section defines the term “test strip” for purposes of the Act as a rapid response, single-use diagnostic that detects the adulteration of a drug with, or the presence in a human specimen of, any substance that may lead to increased morbidity or mortality, such as fentanyl, xylazine, or another synthetic opioid or emerging substance.