Bill would let Maryland health secretary assign designee to handle appeals for opioid outreach program approvals

House Bill 94 would let the Maryland secretary of health, or the secretary’s designee, handle appeals and chair the standing advisory committee for opioid-associated disease prevention and outreach programs, the Health and Government Operations Committee heard.

The bill, a departmental technical change, moves duties currently assigned to the deputy secretary of the Public Health Administration to the secretary of health so the secretary may reassign them in the future without new legislation, Alyssa Lord, deputy secretary for behavioral health at the Maryland Department of Health, told the committee.

"This legislation will transfer responsibilities currently held by the deputy secretary of the Public Health Administration, to the secretary of health or the secretary's designee," Lord said. "This transfer of duties will allow the secretary to assign these responsibilities as necessary in the future without requiring new legislation."

Nut Graf: The change does not create new program requirements, according to the department, but centralizing authority is intended to give the department flexibility in assigning oversight and appeal responsibilities for roughly 100 existing opioid-associated disease prevention and outreach programs across the state.

Supporters said the change is administrative and intended to align the program with other functions under the secretary. "With this proposed revision there is no anticipated operational impact," Lord said, adding that the technical change lets the department "align across other designated functions of the secretary." Committee members asked for confirmation that the change allows the secretary to appoint designees with appropriate expertise; Lord replied, "Yes, ma'am. You heard correctly."

Committee members made no substantive changes during the hearing and no formal vote was taken on the bill in this session. The department framed the measure as a way to preserve operational flexibility while maintaining the existing program structure and oversight.

Clarifying details from testimony: the department said the state currently operates close to 100 opioid-associated disease prevention and outreach programs; the bill specifically allows a local health department or community-based organization to appeal to the secretary or the secretary’s designee the outcome of an application to operate an opioid-associated disease prevention and outreach program; the bill also updates that the "secretary or the secretary's designee shall chair the standing advisory committee."

The committee did not take action at the hearing; supporters said the bill requires no additional funding or operational change beyond the reassignment of authority.