# Plain Language Summary: Drug-Free Communities Pandemic Relief Act

This bill gives federal officials temporary flexibility to help local drug prevention organizations that got hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Normally, these community groups have to raise a certain amount of their own money (through donations, fundraising, or in-kind contributions like volunteer time) to qualify for federal grants. The federal government then matches that local money with its own funding. During the pandemic, many of these groups struggled to raise their required share because of lockdowns, canceled events, and economic hardship, which meant they couldn't access the federal money they needed.

This bill allows the Drug Enforcement Administration to waive those strict matching requirements for organizations that can prove the pandemic prevented them from raising their usual amount. Instead of turning away groups that fell short, the government can now give them their full federal grant even if they only raised 50 percent of what they normally would. However, there are limits—the federal government won't give more money than it originally promised to provide, and for some longer-term grants, the federal match can't exceed 125 or 150 percent of what the group actually raised locally.

The practical effect is that community coalitions fighting drug abuse in neighborhoods across the country can keep their programs running during the pandemic without having to shut down or cut services just because they couldn't hold their usual fundraisers. Once the public health emergency ends, these organizations would go back to the normal rules requiring them to raise their full share of local funding.

Drug-Free Communities Pandemic Relief Act

Joyce, David P.

Drug-Free Communities Pandemic Relief Act This bill authorizes the Drug-Free Communities Support Program, subject to certain limitations, to waive matching funds requirements applicable to certain grants for reducing substance use among youth. Before waiving these requirements, the program must determine that a grantee is unable to raise funds because of the COVID-19 (i.e. coronavirus disease 2019) emergency. Currently, the Office of National Drug Control Policy administers this program, and community coalitions that receive the grants must match a specified percentage of the federal award amount with nonfederal funds, including in-kind contributions.