A bill to amend the Rural Development Act of 1972 to improve access to grants for evidence-based substance use disorder treatment services in rural areas, and for other purposes.

This bill amends the Rural Development Act of 1972, with respect to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program, to require USDA to give priority to applicants that will use the grants for substance use disorder education, prevention, or treatment.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2137 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2137

To amend the Rural Development Act of 1972 to improve access to grants 
 for evidence-based substance use disorder treatment services in rural 
                     areas, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 16, 2017

  Mr. Donnelly (for himself and Mr. Hoeven) introduced the following 
      bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                  Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Rural Development Act of 1972 to improve access to grants 
 for evidence-based substance use disorder treatment services in rural 
                     areas, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. RURAL HEALTH AND SAFETY EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--Section 502(i) of the Rural Development Act of 
1972 (7 U.S.C. 2662(i)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (6); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
            ``(5) Substance use disorder education and prevention.--In 
        making grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall give 
        priority to an applicant that will use the grant for substance 
        use disorder education, prevention, or treatment.''.
    (b) Technical Amendments.--Title V of the Rural Development Act of 
1972 (7 U.S.C. 2661 et seq.) (as amended by subsection (a)) is 
amended--
            (1) in section 502, in the matter preceding subsection (a), 
        by inserting ``(referred to in this title as the `Secretary')'' 
        after ``Agriculture''; and
            (2) by striking ``Secretary of Agriculture'' each place it 
        appears (other than in section 502 in the matter preceding 
        subsection (a)) and inserting ``Secretary''.
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