Preventing Opioid and Drug Impairment in Transportation Act

Preventing Opioid and Drug Impairment in Transportation Act

This bill addresses drug and alcohol testing for transportation-related activities.

Specifically, the bill requires

• the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) to report on methods it uses to ensure supervisors of employees in safety-sensitive positions receive the required training on how to detect drug and alcohol use and training on the rights and responsibilities of employees throughout the drug and alcohol testing process;
• the Department of Transportation (DOT) to determine whether to mandate that Amtrak locomotive engineers and conductors report arrests due to drug or alcohol offenses;
• DOT to report on the ability of pipeline companies that operate from Canada or Mexico into the United States to conduct the same drug and alcohol tests of safety-sensitive personnel that are required in the United States;
• DOT to amend its auditing program to improve the efficiency of certain drug and alcohol regulations related to testing contractors working in multiple states;
• the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to study the ways it can reduce and better detect impaired driving, including marijuana- and opioid-impaired driving;
• DOT to conduct a study on the accuracy of on-site oral fluid screening for tetrahydrocannabinol and opiate presence in order to reduce the potential impact on traffic safety due to drug and polysubstance-impaired drivers;
• the Government Accountability Office to review DOT's process for setting guidelines and drug testing requirements for transportation employees;
• reports on whether to add fentanyl to the drug testing panel and the status of the guidelines for hair testing of transportation employees;
• DOT to report on the current status and operational potential of the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety Program's alcohol detection technology; and
• DOT to identify the barriers states face in submitting toxicology results of fatally injured drivers, provide recommendations to address such barriers, and establish minimum guidelines for toxicological investigations.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov