“To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prevent certain alcohol and substance misuse.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section revises the alcohol and drug abuse prevention program under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) (i.e., requirements for institutions of higher education to certify adoption of campus prevention programs as a condition of federal funding eligibility, including student aid programs), renaming it the alcohol and substance misuse prevention program. It requires institutions to implement an evidence-based or evidence-informed program (from any program) to prevent alcohol and substance misuse (from use of illicit drugs and abuse of alcohol); updates distributed materials to cover health risks of alcohol and substance misuse (from illicit drugs and alcohol abuse), expands descriptions of available programs to include counseling, treatment, rehabilitation, recovery, reentry, or recovery support (including via partnerships with community-based organizations), and specifies a statement of institutional policies on sanctions (from a statement that the institution will impose sanctions); and requires biennial reviews to include overdoses alongside violations and fatalities. The section further requires the Department of Education Secretary to (1) provide assistance to institutions for compliance; (2) enter an interagency agreement with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, within 180 days of enactment to develop and disseminate best practices for evidence-based or evidence-informed programs and to promote coordination with state agencies administering Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grants; and (3) issue related guidance within one year of enactment, in coordination with HHS. The section revises HEA grant and contract authority to support evidence-based or evidence-informed alcohol and substance misuse prevention and education programs (from programs to reduce illegal drug and alcohol use and related violence), prioritizing community-based organizations partnering with institutions (including collegiate recovery programs) and programs improving access to treatment, recovery support, referral, or crisis intervention (from treatment-referral); and authorizes additional grant uses for recovery and peer support, integrated campus health services for mental health and substance use disorders, reentry assistance for students on academic probation due to substance use disorder, overdose prevention (including post-disaster restoration), and education on recognizing substance use disorder, community resources, and crisis de-escalation.
This section revises the program participation agreement requirements for institutions of higher education to participate in federal student aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 by requiring each institution to certify that it has an accessible alcohol and substance misuse prevention program in accordance with HEA §120. Institutions are presumed compliant with this requirement unless there is a showing that they knowingly and willfully failed to implement such a program.
This section directs the Secretary of Education to submit reports to the House Committee on Education and Workforce and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on (1) the Secretary's efforts under the amendments made by this Act and (2) best practices from institutions receiving grants under section 120(e) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1011i(e)), as amended by section 2—not later than one year after enactment and three years after enactment.
This section provides that the amendments made by section 2(2) and section 3 apply to institutions of higher education beginning two years after the date of enactment of this Act.