S. 946 · Where this bill is now
Became law through another bill
Its text was included in H.R. 2483, Public Law 119-44 (per the Congressional Research Service). This bill number itself: In committee.
See H.R. 2483 on Congress.gov ↗
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryExpands training options for prescribing controlled substances
Before doctors and other health care practitioners can prescribe certain controlled substances, they need DEA registration and training on substance use disorders. This bill adds more organizations that can provide that training, like the American Academy of Family Physicians. It also lets podiatrists and pharmacists who got similar training in school skip the separate training requirement, if they graduated recently enough.
How it affects you
If you're a health care practitioner prescribing controlled substances, you'll have more organizations to choose from for your required training, and some of you may not need the extra training at all. For patients, this could mean easier access to practitioners who can prescribe these medications, since the expanded options and exemptions remove barriers to registration.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Mar 11, 2025)
Medication Access and Training Expansion Improvement Act or the MATE Improvement Act
This bill expands the types of organizations that may provide required training for practitioners registering with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to dispense (i.e., prescribe or administer) certain controlled substances.
Current law requires health care practitioners to register with the DEA and complete a one-time training on substance use disorders from specified entities in order to dispense schedule II-V controlled substances. Practitioners who graduated within the last five years from specified types of schools and whose curriculum included similar training on substance use disorders are exempt from having to receive this additional training.
The bill adds several organizations (e.g., the American Academy of Family Physicians) to the list of entities that may provide the required one-time training for physicians or other practitioners. It also expands the types of practitioners who are exempt from this training requirement to include those who graduated from schools of podiatric medicine or schools of pharmacy within the last five years and received similar training as part of their curriculums.
The bill applies retroactively, taking effect as if enacted on December 29, 2022.
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. 946
A BILL
MATE Improvement Act
Sponsor: Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D-CO) · Introduced Mar 11, 2025 · Health · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 11, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.”