Colleges must fund substance-abuse recovery; students gain access to treatment.
H.R. 7019 — Campus Prevention and Recovery Services for Students Act of 2026 · Filed by Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 12, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends federal higher education law to require colleges and universities to adopt evidence-based programs to prevent alcohol and substance misuse among students and employees, and to provide recovery support services. It authorizes $15 million annually for six years to fund prevention, treatment referral, peer support, and crisis intervention programs on campuses, and requires the Department of Education to coordinate with the Department of Health and Human Services to develop best practices and guidance.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a regulatory requirement (colleges must adopt evidence-based substance misuse prevention and recovery programs) paired with federal grant funding to offset compliance costs. It is a public-health measure, not a tax provision, subsidy to private parties, or commemorative act.
What the text implies
- Colleges that fail to implement accessible prevention programs risk losing federal student aid eligibility under Title IV, creating powerful enforcement leverage without explicit penalty language.
- The shift from 'illicit drugs and alcohol abuse' to 'alcohol and substance misuse' and inclusion of overdose data reporting may expand institutional liability and reporting obligations beyond current practice.
- Requirement for interagency coordination between Education and HHS may create new data-sharing protocols between federal agencies regarding student substance use, with privacy implications not explicitly addressed.
- Two-year implementation delay (Section 5) creates a window during which colleges can plan compliance, but also delays student access to federally-funded services.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Students gain access to evidence-based prevention, treatment referral, peer support, and recovery services funded by federal grants; colleges are required to make these services accessible. The compliance burden on institutions is offset by federal funding and a two-year implementation grace period. The shift from punitive 'drug abuse prevention' language to health-centered 'substance misuse prevention and recovery' reflects a public-health approach that treats addiction as a health condition ra
Who stands to gain
- colleges and universities (federal grant funding for prevention and recovery programs)
- community-based organizations and collegiate recovery programs (eligible for contracts under amended
Named in the bill
Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, institutions of higher education, community-based organizations, collegiate recovery programs, State agencies administering Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grants, Higher Education Act of 1965, Public Health Service Act
Where it stands
2 cosponsors: 2 Democrats.
- Jan 12, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jan 12, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Education and Workforce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (7,942 characters) on Sep 7, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,398 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-23.
“Colleges must fund substance-abuse recovery; students gain access to treatment.” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr7019 Report an error
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