# Plain Language Summary: Fentanyl Crisis Research and Evaluation Act

This bill asks the federal government's main auditing office (the Comptroller General) to study and report on how the fentanyl crisis is affecting America. Within one year of the bill passing, this office would need to submit a detailed report to Congress examining the widespread impacts of fentanyl overdoses on the country.

The report would look at how fentanyl is affecting people's ability to work and earn money, breaking down the data by race and gender to see if certain groups are hit harder than others. It would examine unemployment rates, how many people are working, and whether certain industries like construction or finance are losing workers. The report would also track how the crisis is affecting government finances—both how much tax money the government is losing and how much more it's spending on programs like Medicaid and Medicare to deal with overdose-related health issues.

Beyond employment and money, the report would investigate housing instability caused by the crisis, including evictions, foreclosures, and homelessness. It would look at how fentanyl deaths are affecting state budgets and ultimately the federal government's finances. The report would also examine whether people with drug convictions can access federally-funded rental housing, count how many young people under 18 have died from fentanyl overdoses, and recommend what the federal government could do to help states manage this crisis more effectively.

Essentially, this bill is about gathering comprehensive data on the fentanyl crisis's ripple effects across employment, housing, government spending, and public health so Congress can make better-informed decisions about how to address the problem.

Fentanyl Crisis Research and Evaluation Act

Fry, Russell

Fentanyl Crisis Research and Evaluation ActThis bill requires the Government Accountability Office to report on the fentanyl crisis, including with respect to the effects on government programs and finances.