DROP Act of 2015
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
Dispose Responsibly of your Pills Act of 2015 or the DROP Act of 2015
Authorizes the Attorney General, in coordination with the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, to make grants to eligible entities to expand or make available disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications.
Defines "eligible entity" to include:
a state, local, or tribal law enforcement agency;
a manufacturer, distributor, or reverse distributor of prescription medications;
a retail pharmacy;
a registered narcotic treatment program;
a hospital or clinic with an on-site pharmacy; and
an eligible long-term care facility.
Requires a recipient to use a grant for:
expenses of a prescription drug disposal site;
implementing disposal procedures and processes and community education strategies;
replicating a prescription drug take back initiative throughout multiple jurisdictions; and
training of law enforcement officers and other community participants.
Limits grants to not more than $250,000 for not longer than two years.
Directs the Attorney General to make a grant: (1) to provide technical assistance and training for a grant recipient, and (2) for evaluation of each recipient's performance. Requires recipients to report each fiscal year on: (1) the effectiveness of their prescription drug take back programs, and (2) the effect of disposal efforts on drug circulation.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on May 20, 2015. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on June 16, 2015: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 114th Congress (2015-16), 329 of the 10,233 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.2 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Ami Bera (D-CA) introduced it on May 20, 2015, and 8 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 3 Democrats, 5 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 20, 2015, 4131 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4104 days ago, on June 16, 2015.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 114th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2017 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers