WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, during National Fentanyl Awareness Week, Senator Rick Scott reintroduced the Overdose Response Action Data And Reforms (RADAR) Act. This legislation will take a comprehensive approach to the overdose epidemic by elevating the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to a Cabinet-level position, supporting improvements to the collection of data and prevention efforts, expanding treatment options and raising awareness of the devastating opioid and fentanyl crisis affecting communities across America.

Senator Scott serves as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, which is leading a hearing on the opioid epidemic and actions public and private partners can take to curb this devastating health crisis from afflicting even more American families and communities. See more on the hearing HERE.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Over the last decade, we have lost hundreds of thousands of American lives to drug overdoses - More than 70,000 per year. It’s happening in every community, across every state and not just to younger individuals. Every one of these lives represents a mom, a dad, friend, loved one or sibling who left behind a heartbroken family. In recognition of Fentanyl Awareness Week, I stand with the families impacted by the devastating fentanyl crisis and fight for changes to save lives. My latest proposal, the Overdose RADAR Act will make fighting this epidemic a priority with resources to support improved data on opioid-related deaths, improve interagency collaboration and elevating the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to be a member of President Trump’s Cabinet. I urge my colleagues to come together and support this critical, life-saving legislation.”

The Overdose RADAR Act would:

• Allow grant funding for emergency treatment and create national standards for overdose data submission for states to improve data and surveillance on opioid-related overdoses, including postmortem testing, data linkage and electronic death reporting
• Reform the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) role as a Cabinet-level position and ensures ONDCP coordinates with other agencies to improve reporting standards.
• Ensure that best practices for using State Opioid Response Grants are shared with recipients to get the most of out of federal funding to fight the epidemic.
• Create a 3-year pilot program for wastewater analysis to detect illicit substances like fentanyl, with grants to municipal wastewater treatment facilities
• Allow schools to have access to funds to get trained personnel available to administer emergency treatments like the live saving drug naloxone
• Add fentanyl test strips to the list of excluded materials in the drug paraphernalia category of the Controlled Substances Act.

Read the full bill HERE.

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