Republican Congressman Dave Joyce reintroduced a bipartisan bill he said would help reduce opioid overdoses in schools.

The School Access to Naloxone Act would amend the Public Health Service Act to strengthen and better target existing federal efforts to reduce opioid overdose deaths by expanding access to overdose-reversal medications, such as naloxone, in elementary and secondary schools, said Joyce, whose district includes all of Trumbull County and, starting Jan. 1, will include portions of Mahoning County.

Joyce, of Bainbridge, introduced the bill Wednesday with U.S. Rep. Kelly Morrison, a Minnesota Democrat. A companion bill was introduced in the Senate by Jeff Merkley, an Oklahoma Democrat, and Rick Scott, a Florida Republican.

Joyce said, “Naloxone has proven to be a safe and effective opioid reversal medication, and expanding access to it could save countless lives.”

Joyce added, “At a time when fentanyl is increasingly found in counterfeit pills and other illicit drugs, a single mistake can have deadly consequences. While I support prevention first and foremost, we should be making every effort to save our students’ lives.”

The bill was first introduced May 2, 2023, by Joyce and Dean Phillips, then a Democratic congressman from Minnesota, and referred that day to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The committee referred it three days later to its Subcommittee on Health, which never conducted a hearing on the bill.

Current law already authorizes grant funding to support naloxone access, training and distribution, but it is primarily focused on prescribing these medications and does not clearly address their administration in school settings.

This bill would clarify that existing funds may be used for the administration of overdose-reversal drugs and create a new, school-specific grant program to ensure these resources reach K-12 schools. Under this bill, eligible entities may receive funding to equip schools with naloxone, maintain an accessible supply and ensure trained personnel are available to respond to suspected overdoses during school hours.

The legislation requires participating schools to designate and train staff and ensures states confirm adequate civil liability protections for personnel administering treatment.

The bill builds on existing funding authority by removing ambiguity, establishing clear pathways for school participation and helping ensure schools are prepared to respond effectively to opioid overdoses, according to Joyce.