The HERO Act would create a federal grant program, run by the Department of Health and Human Services through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, to help eligible schools buy opioid overdose reversal drugs approved under section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. It also requires grant applicants to build emergency response plans with local health departments and provide CPR, drug-prevention, and overdose-response education. Separately, schools and local educational agencies receiving Federal funds would have to report any distribution of an opioid overdose reversal drug to NEMSIS and ODMAP, beginning not later than 90 days after enactment. The bill mainly affects private elementary and secondary schools, charter schools that are local educational agencies, and other local educational agencies.
What This Bill Does
- HHS would start a competitive school grant program within 90 days of enactment.
- Grant money could be used to buy opioid overdose reversal drugs approved under 21 U.S.C. 355.
- Grant applicants must work with local health departments on comprehensive emergency response plans.
- Schools receiving grants must add CPR, prevention, and overdose-response education.
- Schools receiving Federal funds must report opioid overdose drug distribution to NEMSIS and ODMAP.
Who This Bill Affects
If you are a parent, student, teacher, or school administrator at a private school, charter school, or local educational agency that receives Federal funds, the bill could make your school more prepared to respond to an opioid overdose. It could also mean added reporting and planning duties for schools, because distribution of opioid overdose reversal drugs would have to be reported to NEMSIS and ODMAP, and grant recipients would need emergency plans and educational programming in place.
See how this bill affects you — sign in for a personalized analysisWho Supports & Opposes This
- School administrators in high-overdose communities The bill gives schools a way to stock opioid overdose reversal drugs and pair them with a response plan, which could reduce the chance that a student, staff member, or visitor dies before help arrives. Priority for areas with high opioid overdose rates targets the communities with the greatest immediate need.
- Parents and caregivers Families may see this as a commonsense safety measure that helps schools respond to emergencies while also teaching CPR and overdose awareness. The requirement to consult local health departments may reassure parents that school plans are medically informed.
- Public-health advocates Reporting school distributions to NEMSIS and ODMAP could improve overdose surveillance and help public-health officials spot patterns more quickly. Better data can support prevention efforts and resource allocation.
- School districts with limited administrative capacity Even if the grants help cover drug purchases, schools would still have to build plans, train staff, implement educational programming, and file reports to federal systems. Smaller districts may see this as another compliance burden layered onto existing responsibilities.
- Privacy-minded parents and educators Mandatory reporting to national and regional data systems could raise concerns about how school-level overdose incidents are recorded and who can use that information. Some may worry about stigmatizing students or communities affected by addiction.
- Local education officials concerned about unfunded obligations The bill creates continuing reporting and planning requirements for schools that receive Federal funds, but it does not specify a set funding level for all affected institutions. Critics may argue that schools could face new expectations without enough resources to carry them out consistently.
Key Implications
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““award grants, on a competitive basis””
Schools and school systems would have to apply and compete for assistance rather than receiving automatic funding. That means the benefits would likely reach only selected eligible entities each year.
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““purchase opioid overdose reversal drugs””
Grant funds could be used to buy medication for reversing opioid overdoses, giving schools a direct emergency-response tool. The bill does not name a dollar amount, so the scale would depend on future grant awards.
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““consultation with the local health department””
Schools would not be planning this alone; they would have to work with local public-health officials. That may improve the quality of the response plan but also adds coordination steps.
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““submit a description of any distribution...to NEMSIS...and ODMAP””
Schools receiving Federal funds would need to report when they distribute these drugs to established overdose-data systems. This could improve tracking, but it also means schools must maintain records in a way that fits those systems.
Official Source & Bill Facts
BillBoard checks this page against public Congress.gov metadata, then adds plain-English analysis where available.
- Bill
- HR 7994
- Congress
- 119th Congress
- Official title
- HERO Act
- Policy area
- Education
- Latest action
- Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote. (June 25, 2026)
- Last updated
- June 27, 2026
Latest Status
June 25, 2026
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
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