October 23, 2025
Ms. Murkowski (for herself, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Warner, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Luján, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Heinrich, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Markey, Mr. Gallego, Ms. Warren, Mr. Welch, and Mr. Booker) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
To amend the Controlled Substances Act to allow for the use of telehealth in substance use disorder treatment, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Telehealth Response for E-prescribing Addiction Therapy Services Act
or the TREATS Act
.
Sec. 2. Telehealth for substance use disorder treatment
Section 309(e)(2) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 829(e)(2)) is amended—
(1)
in subparagraph (A)(i)—
(A)
by striking at least 1 in-person medical evaluation
and inserting the following:
at least—
(I)
1 in-person medical evaluation; and
(B)
by adding at the end the following:
(II)
for purposes of prescribing a controlled substance in schedule III, IV, or V that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of a substance use disorder, 1 telehealth evaluation of the patient; or ; and
(2)
by adding at the end the following:
(D)
The term telehealth evaluation means a medical evaluation that is conducted in accordance with applicable Federal and State laws by a practitioner (other than a pharmacist) who is at a location remote from the patient and is communicating with the patient, or a practitioner who is treating the patient, using a telecommunications system referred to in section 1834(m) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)) that includes audio-only or audio and video equipment permitting two-way, real-time interactive communication between the distant site practitioner and the patient, or the practitioner who is treating the patient.