Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration May 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document is a request for information regarding specific aspects of the regulatory policies and standards that may be applied to the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs (hair specimen).

The Department of Health and Human Services (``HHS'' or ``Department'') is proposing to establish scientific and technical guidelines for the inclusion of oral fluid specimens in the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs (Guidelines).

(1) What action is being taken? The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued an Offender Reintegration Toolkit Challenge to help reduce recidivism and promote the public health and safety of communities. (2) Why is this action necessary? Studies show that people leaving the criminal justice system have a higher proportion of substance use and mental disorders than the general population. Treatment and recovery support, along with housing and employment are necessary to help newly released individuals address substance use and mental disorders and to keep them from reoffending. Easy to find information and resources can help them (and their family and friends) as they return to their communities. (3) What is the objective of the challenge? To reduce recidivism and provide resources and support for individuals leaving the criminal justice system and re-entering their communities. (4) What is the intended effect of this action? Family, friends, parole officers, and community service staff will help ex-offenders connect to resources for housing, employment, healthcare, and treatment and recovery for substance use and mental health disorders. By connecting them to necessary supports, ex-offenders will successfully transition back into their communities and live successful, healthy lives. SAMHSA is seeking solutions to this problem through cost-effective, portable, technology-based products that effectively reach a diverse population of ex-offenders being released from jail or prison, and the friends, family, parole officers, case managers, and service center staff who help them. Technology-based products may include, but are not limited to, web applications, mobile apps, and Web sites.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notifies federal agencies of the laboratories and Instrumented Initial Testing Facilities (IITF) currently certified to meet the standards of the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs (Mandatory Guidelines). The Mandatory Guidelines were first published in the Federal Register on April 11, 1988 (53 FR 11970), and subsequently revised in the Federal Register on June 9, 1994 (59 FR 29908); September 30, 1997 (62 FR 51118); April 13, 2004 (69 FR 19644); November 25, 2008 (73 FR 71858); December 10, 2008 (73 FR 75122); and on April 30, 2010 (75 FR 22809). A notice listing all currently HHS-certified laboratories and IITFs is published in the Federal Register during the first week of each month. If any laboratory or IITF certification is suspended or revoked, the laboratory or IITF will be omitted from subsequent lists until such time as it is restored to full certification under the Mandatory Guidelines. If any laboratory or IITF has withdrawn from the HHS National Laboratory Certification Program (NLCP) during the past month, it will be listed at the end and will be omitted from the monthly listing thereafter. This notice is also available on the Internet at https:// beta.samhsa.gov/workplace.