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Committee advances bill to distribute opioid-overdose awareness posters in public facilities
Summary
House Bill 269 would authorize state agencies to distribute posters showing how to recognize and respond to opioid overdoses and how to obtain naloxone; the Human Services Committee reported the bill out after a roll-call vote with at least two recorded no votes.
Representative Venkat sponsored House Bill 269, which would amend Act 64 of 1972 (the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act) to provide for opioid overdose awareness materials and authorize state distribution of informational posters.
"The idea for this legislation came from my constituents, Sherry Jo Matt and Tom Bhatt in Franklin Park, who lost their daughter Sienna to an accidental drug overdose," Representative Venkat said. She said the posters—adapted from a Florida model and promoted by the Stop the Judgment project—would help the public recognize opioid overdoses, learn how to respond and find information on obtaining naloxone.
Venkat said the bill would empower the Department of Health and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs to distribute the poster in public facilities and to offer it to private facilities. "Knowledge is power," Venkat said.
One committee member said the bill’s intent was "fantastic" but said they were not convinced how much posters alone would reduce overdose deaths and announced they would vote no, preferring other uses of funds. Representative Heffley said he would support the bill in committee, noting language added last session provides flexibility for entities named in the bill and observing that education efforts must adapt to shifting drug trends.
The committee held a roll-call vote. The transcript records the following responses: Chairman Williams — yes; Rep. Bellman — yes; Rep. Benham — yes; Rep. Serrato — yes; Rep. Gerral — yes; Rep. Green — yes; Rep. Harris — yes; Rep. Khan — yes; Rep. Kincaid — yes; Rep. Mays — yes; Rep. Otten — yes; Rep. Prokopiak — yes; Rep. Rivera — yes; Rep. Venkat — yes; Chairman Heffley — yes; Rep. Anderson — no; Rep. Baseline — yes; Rep. Flick — yes; Rep. Flood — yes; Rep. Hogan — yes; Rep. Labs — yes; Rep. McKenzie — yes; Rep. Pugh — yes; Rep. Reichard — no; Rep. Schlegel — yes; Rep. Weakneck — yes.
The majority voted in favor and House Bill 269 was reported out of committee. The sponsor and the committee discussed the bill’s voluntary distribution to private facilities, the source idea from Florida, and the value of public education; some members said funds might be better devoted to other interventions.
