Crockett, Gooden Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral ALERT Communities Act to Increase Access to Fentanyl and Xylazine Test Strips
Today, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) and Congressman Lance Gooden (TX-5) introduced a bipartisan, bicameral bill, the Advancing Lifesaving Efforts with Rapid Test Strips for Communities Act (ALERT Communities Act) to boost federal resources to states, local governments, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to train and assist first responders to carry out and facilitate access to fentanyl or xylazine test strips.
The Alert Communities Act will also require the Department of Health and Human Services—through the National Institute for Drug Abuse and the Food and Drug Administration—to develop and publish a research framework for innovating test strip technology to improve the quality of test strips and the role they play in decreasing overdoses and substance use disorders, as well as assist in creating new test strip technology to identify potential new deadly substances that may be created in the future.
“Too many people are dying at the hands of fentanyl and xylazine, and we in Congress must do everything possible to address this problem - including by increasing access to drug identification tools,” said Congresswoman Crockett. “I am proud to introduce the ALERT Communities Act with my colleague and friend, Congressman Gooden, to give our communities and first responders the resources they need to prevent avoidable deaths, thereby saving lives, and address the underlying issues associated with drug use and addiction.”
“Texans are on the forefront of combating the fentanyl epidemic, and this legislation will give them an important tool to win this fight. This bipartisan effort focuses on testing prescription drugs for fentanyl, a key step in preventing tragic overdoses,” said Congressman Lance Gooden.
The bill is endorsed by American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), NH Harm Reduction Coalition, New Futures, Faces and Voices of Recovery, National Behavioral Health Association of Providers, Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse of Northwest Louisiana, and Addiction Professionals of North Carolina.
North Texas has seen a significant rise in the number of serious overdose-related injuries and deaths resulting from fentanyl and xylazine. Since Congresswoman Crockett was sworn into the 118th Congress, she has made it her mission to address this alarming trend. In December 2023, Congresswoman Crockett’s bipartisan bill, the Test Strip Access Act, was passed out of the House after being included as a marker bill in the Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act. The Test Strip Access Act would ensure federal grants used for overdose prevention programs under the 21st Century Cures Act would allow for the purchase and use of fentanyl and xylazine test strips. In May 2023, Congresswoman Crockett also introduced the bipartisan STRIP Act, which clarifies that possession or use of fentanyl test strips are not subject to prosecution under the federal drug paraphernalia statute.