S. 2848: Fighting Opioid Abuse in Transportation Act

115th Congress · introduced 2018-05-15 · Transportation and Public Works · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 491.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2018-05-15 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 491. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Fighting Opioid Abuse in Transportation Act

Plain summary

Fighting Opioid Abuse in Transportation Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to publish a final rule revising regulations for alcohol and controlled substances testing to designate rail mechanical employees and yardmasters as railroad employee responsible for safety-sensitive functions. The General Accountability Office shall review DOT's Drug and Alcohol Testing Management Information System and submit to Congress a report on the review, including appropriate recommendations. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall determine whether a revision of the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs to expand the opiate category on the list of authorized drug testing to include fentanyl is justified, based on the reliability and cost-effectiveness of available testing. If the expansion of the opiate category is determined to be justified, HHS shall publish a final notice of the revision of the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs to expand the opiate category on the list of authorized drug testing to include fentanyl. If the expansion of the opiate category is determined to be justified, and DOT concurs with that determination, DOT shall publish a final rule revising regulations for procedures for transportation workplace drug and alcohol testing programs to include fentanyl in DOT's drug-testing panel, consistent with the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs as revised by HHS. HHS shall: (1) submit to Congress a report on the status of the hair testing guidelines, and (2) publish a final notice of the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs using Oral Fluid.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Fighting Opioid Abuse in Transportation Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 2848, Fighting Opioid Abuse in Transportation Act (2018-06-27)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] reported raising $4.7 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115s2848.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/s>

Record fed-us-cong115-s2848 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115