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S 954 114th Congress Senate

FDA Accountability for Public Safety Act

Official title: A bill to establish procedures regarding the approval of opioid drugs by the Food and Drug Administration.

Introduced: April 15, 2015 See on congress.gov
Health Congressional oversightDepartment of Health and Human ServicesDrug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulationDrug trafficking and controlled substances
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Federal officialsFood and Drug Administration (FDA)Government ethics and transparency, public corruptionMarketing and advertisingPrescription drugs
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This bill died when the 114th Congress ended
It never became law before the 114th Congress (2015–2016) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Apr 15, 2015
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Apr 15, 2015
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action April 15, 2015

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

FDA Accountability for Public Safety Act

This bill requires the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to ensure that an advisory committee of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluates each new drug application for an opioid (a drug with effects similar to opium, such as morphine) and issues a recommendation regarding approval of the drug. If the decision to approve the drug is inconsistent with the committee's recommendation, the Commissioner must make the final decision on approval.

If the committee recommends a drug not be approved but the Commissioner decides to approve the drug, the Commissioner must: (1) submit a report to Congress that includes the evidence regarding patient safety that supports the Commissioner's decision and a disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest of FDA officials involved in the decision to approve the drug; and (2) testify before Congress regarding the decision, upon request. Such a drug cannot be sold until the Commissioner has submitted the required report.
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 4
All 4 Democratic 1 Republican 1 Independent 1
I
King, Angus S., Jr.
Maine · Nov 19, 2015
 R
Capito, Shelley Moore
West Virginia · Apr 15, 2015
 D
Kaine, Tim
Virginia · Apr 15, 2015
Vitter, David
· Apr 15, 2015
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 954: FDA Accountability for Public Safety Act. 114th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-954/
MLA
"S. 954: FDA Accountability for Public Safety Act." 114th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-954/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 954, 114th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-954/.
Markdown link
[S. 954: FDA Accountability for Public Safety Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-954/)
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