Bill Text: NJ A1861 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator position; appropriates funds.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health Committee [A1861 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A1861-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman HERB CONAWAY, JR.
District 7 (Burlington)
Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator position; appropriates funds.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act establishing the position of Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in this act:
"Emergency medical response entity" means an organization, company, governmental entity, community-based program, or healthcare system that provides pre-hospital emergency medical services and assistance and is qualified to send paid or volunteer emergency medical responders to the scene of an emergency. "Emergency medical response entity" includes, but is not limited to, a first aid, rescue and ambulance squad or other basic life support ambulance provider; a mobile intensive care provider or other advanced life support ambulance provider; an air medical service provider; or a fire-fighting company or organization.
"Law enforcement agency" means a department, division, bureau, commission, board, or other authority of the State or of any political subdivision thereof which employs law enforcement officers.
"Opioid antidote" means any drug, regardless of dosage amount or method of administration, which has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of an opioid overdose. "Opioid antidote" includes, but is not limited to, naloxone hydrochloride, in any dosage amount, which is administered through nasal spray or any other FDA-approved means or methods.
"Recognized place of public access" means the same as that term is defined in section 3 of P.L.2013, c.46 (C.24:6J-3).
"Sterile syringe access program" means a program established pursuant to the provisions of P.L.2006, c.99 (C.26:5C-25 et al.).
2. a. The Commissioner of Human Services shall establish, within the Department of Human Services, the Office of the Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator.
b. The commissioner shall appoint a Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator, who shall serve at the pleasure of the commissioner, and who shall have experience in one or more of the following areas: mental health and substance use disorders; law enforcement; health care; health policy; or procurement and processing.
c. The commissioner shall assign such administrative and clerical staff as shall be necessary to support the Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator in the performance of the coordinator's duties.
d. At a minimum, the Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator shall be responsible for:
(1) overseeing the bulk purchasing and distribution of opioid antidotes on behalf of:
(a) all State, county, and local governmental agencies;
(b) upon request by an entity that distributes or administers opioid antidotes in the State, other than a pharmacy, overseeing the purchase of opioid antidotes on behalf of, and distributing opioid antidotes to, the entity, which entities may include, but shall not be limited to: emergency medical response entities, law enforcement agencies, recognized places of public access, public and nonpublic schools, and sterile syringe access programs;
(2) working and liaising with the Department of Health, the Office of the Attorney General, the New Jersey State Police, the New Jersey Coordinator for Addiction Responses and Enforcement Strategies in the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Governor, and other governmental entities as may be necessary to support those entities in the performance of their duties as those duties relate to the purchase, distribution, and administration of opioid antidotes; and
(3) establishing and maintaining an Internet website that provides information to the public concerning opioid antidotes, including information concerning the nature of opioid antidotes, the administration of opioid antidotes, access to opioid antidotes, and responding to a suspected opioid overdose.
e. The Office of the Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator shall be supported by such federal funds as may be available for this purpose, as well as by an annual appropriation in an amount as may be needed to ensure the office is fully funded and supported.
3. The Commissioner of Human Services shall prepare and submit an annual report to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature, describing the activities of the Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator over the prior year, including the total quantity of opioid antidotes purchased and distributed by the Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator, the types of entities to which opioid antidotes were distributed and the quantity of opioid antidotes distributed to each type of entity, estimated cost savings realized through the use of bulk purchasing of opioid antidotes, public information and outreach initiatives undertaken by the Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator, and any other information the commissioner determines to be necessary and appropriate.
4. There is appropriated
from the General Fund to the Department of Human Services such sums as are necessary
to establish and maintain the website required pursuant to paragraph (3) of
subsection d. of section 2 of this act.
5. The Commissioner of Human Services may adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as are necessary to implement the provisions of this act.
6. This act shall take effect the first day of the third month next following the date of enactment, except that the Commissioner of Human Services may take such anticipatory administrative action in advance as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the Office of the Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator in the Department of Human Services and makes an appropriation.
Under the bill, the Commissioner of Human Services will appoint a Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator, who will serve at the pleasure of the commissioner. The Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator will be required to have prior experience in mental health and substance use disorders, law enforcement, health care, health policy, or procurement and processing. The commissioner will assign administrative and clerical staff as necessary to support the activities of the Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator.
The Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator will be responsible for:
1) overseeing the bulk purchasing and distribution of opioid antidotes on behalf of all State agencies, as well as certain other entities that distribute or administer opioid antidotes, including, but not limited to, emergency medical response entities, law enforcement agencies, recognized places of public access, public and nonpublic schools, and sterile syringe access programs, when those entities request assistance with purchasing opioid antidotes;
2) working and liaising with the Department of Health, the Office of the Attorney General, the New Jersey State Police, the New Jersey Coordinator for Addiction Responses and Enforcement Strategies in the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Governor, and other governmental entities as may be necessary to support those entities in the performance of their duties as those duties relate to the purchase, distribution, and administration of opioid antidotes; and
3) establishing and maintaining an Internet website that provides information to the public concerning opioid antidotes, including information concerning the nature of opioid antidotes, the administration of opioid antidotes, access to opioid antidotes, and responding to a suspected opioid overdose.
The Office of the Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator will be supported by such federal funds as may be available for this purpose, as well as by an annual appropriation in an amount as may be needed to ensure the office is fully funded. In addition, the bill requires an appropriation be made to the Department of Human Services from the General Fund to support the establishment of the opioid antidote information website.
The Commissioner of Human Services will be required to prepare and submit an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature describing the activities of the Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator over the prior year, including the total quantity of opioid antidotes purchased and distributed by the coordinator, the types of entities to which opioid antidotes were distributed and the quantity of opioid antidotes distributed to each type of entity, estimated cost savings realized through the use of bulk purchasing of opioid antidotes, public information and outreach initiatives undertaken by the coordinator, and any other information the commissioner determines to be necessary and appropriate.
According to the Department of Health, between June 2017 and April 2021, emergency medical services providers and law enforcement alone administered more than 54,000 doses of opioid antidotes in New Jersey. Opioid antidotes are an essential component of the State's response to the opioid epidemic, and have been a proven resource that saves the lives of New Jerseyans.
It is the sponsor's view that, given the critical role opioid antidotes play in responding to the opioid epidemic, it is essential to create an Office of the Statewide Opioid Antidote Coordinator in order to facilitate the ability of State, county, and local governmental entities, as well as law enforcement, first responders, and public health providers, to access, dispense, and administer opioid antidotes in a comprehensive, efficient, and cost-effective manner.
