S. 1611: Youth Substance Use Prevention and Awareness Act

The Youth Substance Use Prevention and Awareness Act aims to improve efforts in preventing substance use among youth through targeted public service announcement campaigns. Here's what the bill would do:

Grant Program Expansion

The bill proposes an expansion of an existing grant program under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. This expansion allows for the development and implementation of public service announcements aimed at preventing substance use among young people. These campaigns must utilize age-appropriate material and can include:

• Television and radio announcements
• Print advertisements
• Outdoor advertisements
• Digital media campaigns
• Public service announcement contests that invite youth to submit their own announcements

Reporting Requirements

The bill requires the Attorney General to publish an annual report detailing the grants awarded for these public service announcement campaigns. Each report must include:

• A description of each grant and the specific public service announcement campaign it funded
• Research that informed the campaign's development
• Details about any regional or geographic-specific messaging used in the campaign
• A description of how the campaign aligns with other substance use prevention initiatives of the grantees
• An evaluation of the campaign's effectiveness, particularly its success in reducing drug use among youth

Purpose of the Bill

The overall goal of this bill is to provide more resources and structured approaches to educating and preventing youth from engaging in substance use through engaging and properly researched public service announcements.

Relevant Companies

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