S. 617 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Feb 18, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryFunds data gathering on opioid overdoses
Ever wondered how much detail we actually track about overdose deaths. This bill funds grants to help states and local areas collect better information about opioid overdoses. It also gives money to law enforcement and crime labs in communities hit hard by overdoses to train officers in spotting overdoses, improve equipment for analyzing drugs, and track criminal activity online. The bill also supports training first responders to stay safe around fentanyl.
How it affects you
If you live in a community with high rates of drug overdoses, local police and first responders will have better training and equipment to respond. Law enforcement agencies and crime labs in those areas get resources to improve how they investigate and track drug-related crimes. The changes mainly affect people working in public health and law enforcement rather than the general public directly.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Feb 18, 2025)
Overcoming Prevalent Inadequacies in Overdose Information Data Sets Act or the OPIOIDS Act
This bill establishes and revises certain grants and resources to address opioid-related overdoses.
Specifically, the bill authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) to award grants to states, territories, and localities to improve data and surveillance related to opioid overdoses.
Additionally, the bill directs DOJ to award grants to law enforcement agencies and forensic laboratories in communities with high rates of drug overdoses to (1) provide training to help officers better identify overdoses, (2) upgrade essential systems for drug tracing and processing samples in forensic laboratories, or (3) provide training to better trace criminals through the dark web.
The bill requires the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers to provide training to state and local law enforcement agencies on how to best coordinate with state and federal partners for tracking drug-related activity.
The bill allows funds under the Community Oriented Policing Services grant program to be used to provide training and resources for equipment that protects first responders from secondary fentanyl exposure.
Finally, the bill directs the Drug Enforcement Administration to (1) develop uniform reporting standards for information concerning drug control activities, and (2) budget for a program that analyzes fentanyl samples.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 617
A BILL
OPIOIDS Act
Sponsor: Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) · Introduced Feb 18, 2025 · Crime and Law Enforcement · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Feb 18, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.”