,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #dchh  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,november #ad1       
#bjag,mr4 ,duffy introduced the         
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce 
,a ,,bill  ,to prioritize1 in certain   
substance abuse prevention1 treatment1  
and recovery programs1 the treatment and
 recovery of addicted minors1 and       
individuals responsible for the care of 
dependent minors who are at risk of     
entering the foster care system4  #a4   
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,forgotten ,families ,recovery ,act 
of #bjag4  #b4 ,sense of ,congress on   
prioritizing rural families and at-risk 
youth within substance abuse prevention 
programs  7a7 ,findings ,the ,congress  
finds as follows3  7#a7 ,behavioral     
health and detoxification 7detox7       
services are not as readily available in
 rural communities4 ,for those that are 
available1 their range of services is   
frequently limited4  7#b7 ,patients who 

require treatment for substance abuse   
may need to travel long distances to    
access these services4  7#c7 ,rural     
first responders or the rural hospital  
emergency room 7,,er7 staff may have    
limited experience in providing care to 
a patient presenting the physical       
effects of a drug overdose4  7#d7 ,law  
enforcement and prevention programs may 
be spread sparsely over large rural     
geographic areas4  7#e7 ,according to a 
#bjab study published by the ,maine     
,rural ,health ,research ,center1       
alcohol use and binge drinking are more 
common among rural youth aged #ab to #ac
 than among urban youth the same age4   
7#f7 ,rural adolescents reported higher 
rates of binge drinking and driving     
under the influence 7,,dui7 than urban  
adolescents4  7#g7 ,a #bjad ,,jama      
,psychiatry article concluded that      
heroin users entering treatment over the
 past #ej years have demonstrated a     
changing geographical composition1 with 
an increasing percentage in more recent 

years arriving from communities outside 
of large urban areas4  7b7 ,sense of    
congress ,it is the sense of ,congress  
that the ,secretary of ,health and      
,human ,services1 in carrying out       
substance abuse prevention1 treatment1  
and recovery programs1 should prioritize
 appropriate funding for activities     
within rural populations1 especially    
those with high rates of substance abuse
 among families1 or high rates of       
dependent minors at risk of entering the
 foster care system4  #c4 ,priority for 
the treatment and recovery of addicted  
minors1 and individuals responsible for 
the care of dependent minors who are at 
risk of entering the foster care system 
,section #eaf7;b77#b7 of the ,public    
,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4    
#bij;bb-#bb7;b77#b77 is amended-- 7#a7  
in subparagraph 7,b71 by striking and at
 the end2  7#b7 by redesignating        
subparagraph 7,c7 as subparagraph 7,d72 
and  7#c7 by inserting after            
subparagraph 7,b7 the following3  7,c7  

promoting the treatment and recovery of 
addicted minors1 and individuals        
responsible for the care of dependent   
minors who are at risk of entering the  
foster care system2 and  4