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Lawmakers expand immunity language and advance measure to broaden access to opioid reversal medications
Summary
LB195, which updates state statute to allow a broader set of opioid overdose reversal medications (including generics) under the state standing order, advanced after committee amendments; sponsors said the change will increase access to life‑saving drugs.
Senator Amanda Meyer introduced LB195 to broaden Nebraska’s standing‑order authority for opioid overdose reversal medications, replacing brand‑specific statutory language to allow additional, medically equivalent products to be used in emergency reversal of opioid overdoses.
Meyer told colleagues that expanding the statutory language is intended to increase access to less expensive, federally approved generic opioid reversal medications, noting that newer products such as Narcan (generic naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray) have FDA approvals that post‑date older statutes. "By including the generic prescription of naloxone in our state standing order, more lives will be saved," Meyer said.
The Judiciary Committee’s amendment package was considered on the floor. Senator Bosin described two technical amendments: AM02:40 broadened an immunity provision so it would include opioid reversal medications obtained over‑the‑counter as well as those obtained via prescription; AM0135 incorporated committee edits into the bill. The clerk recorded adoption of the committee amendment(s) and a floor vote advancing LB195 to E & R initial (recorded: 44 ayes, 0 nays).
Supporters framed the measure as a straightforward statutory modernization to allow Nebraska to incorporate medically equivalent, widely available reversal medications under the state standing order and to expand liability protections consistently for those distributing or administering the medications. The bill moves forward for further refinement.
