Committee hears bill to create $4 million annual grant fund for naloxone for law enforcement

The Committee on House Health and Human Services heard proponent testimony on House Bill 2159, which would establish the Emergency Opioid Antagonist Assistance Grant Fund to provide emergency opioid antagonists to law enforcement agencies and remove law enforcement from the state Board of Pharmacy’s statewide opioid antagonist protocol.

Carly, committee staff, walked members through the bill’s major points: the fund would be established in the state treasury and administered by the attorney general; small agencies would receive priority; only agencies that adopt a policy requiring administration of an emergency opioid antagonist would be eligible for grants; and beginning July 1, 2025, the director of accounts would transfer $4,000,000 annually from the state general fund to the grant fund.

Ed Klump, representing the Kansas Sheriffs Association, Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police and Kansas Peace Officers Association, testified in support. He told the committee the fund would help small and rural agencies that currently bear the cost of purchasing naloxone, and he urged removal of a statutory requirement that law enforcement agencies have a medical director for naloxone procurement. “About a half of the agencies in Kansas have 10 or fewer officers, about a third of them have 5 or fewer officers,” Klump said, explaining why the medical‑director requirement imposes costs and operational hurdles for small agencies.

Klump said existing statute retains liability protections for officers who in good faith administer an opioid antagonist and that the bill would preserve those protections. The witness also said grant funding historically has been available through other sources but that gaps remain for agencies that must purchase naloxone out of operating budgets.

Two family members spoke in support and described personal loss. Jennifer Ebert, identifying herself as a grieving mother, described the September 2021 death of her 21‑year‑old son from fentanyl poisoning and said the responding officer did not carry naloxone. “Jason didn’t have to die. If naloxone had been available, he might still be here today,” Ebert said, urging passage of HB 2159. Another witness, Amber, described the 2023 death of her daughter and urged lawmakers to “please support this bill” to give officers lifesaving tools.

During questioning, committee members asked about the bill’s relationship to prior measures allowing EMS to carry and leave naloxone, the fiscal note and the quantity and cost of doses. Klump said he did not have current per‑dose pricing but recalled naloxone was previously about $50–$60 per dose when it required a prescription; he said pricing has changed since naloxone became available over the counter. Carly confirmed the bill calls for a $4,000,000 annual transfer from the general fund beginning July 1, 2025.

The bill’s text also removes law enforcement from the statutory definition of first responder and specifies that a first responder agency does not include any law enforcement agency. The record includes proponent testimony and neutral written testimony from the Kansas State Board of Pharmacy; committee members did not report a floor vote on HB 2159 during the session recorded in the transcript.

(Ending) Committee members closed the hearing after proponent and personal testimony and did not take a formal committee vote on the bill during this session.