Senate committee advances six substance-use bills; members press for opioid-settlement transparency

The Standing Committee on Alcoholism and Substance Use Disorders met Thursday, May 15, 2025, and voted to report six bills out of committee, sending most to the finance committee or the calendar while sending one to the education committee.

Committee members said the bills aim to expand treatment, prevention and reporting for substance-use disorders amid budget uncertainty. Committee members and staff also raised questions about how opioid-settlement dollars are distributed to local programs and whether state reporting and recent budget language will improve local transparency.

The committee advanced six bills. Two bills would establish integrated addiction-recovery and mental-health pilot programs under the Mental Hygiene Law and were reported to the finance committee. A second bill would designate jail-based substance-use disorder treatment, peer-led recovery support and transition services as essential medical care services under the Mental Hygiene Law; that bill was also reported to the finance committee. A bill to require schools to include instruction on prevention of co-occurring disorders in health education was reported to the education committee. A separate bill on distribution of educational materials about prescription-opioid misuse in counties with high prescription-opioid prevalence was reported to the calendar. The final bill, described by the sponsor as related to opioid-settlement prevention and renewal language, was reported to the calendar.

Most votes were taken by voice and the transcript does not record roll-call tallies. One bill (S.49 53 in the transcript) was recorded with one AWR (attendance without recommendation); otherwise no negatives or abstentions were recorded in the transcript. Where the transcript records outcomes, the committee "reported" the bills to the next legislative step (finance, education or calendar) rather than adopting final statutory text.

Committee discussion was brief for most bills and limited to procedural comments and expressions of support for prevention and treatment. During discussion of the bill described in the transcript as relating to opioid-settlement prevention (s 67 57), a committee member raised a regional concern: in Suffolk County, settlement-related funding and grants are not always reaching local programs because of restrictions or parameters set by intermediary organizations. A staff member described recent budget language intended to expand transparency about where opioid-settlement funds are going, noting that some recipients that previously did not report to the state (the transcript cited Nassau as an example) now must do so under the language included in the budget.

Committee members said the reporting requirement should make it possible to identify where funds are "getting clogged" and then address the specific bottlenecks, though no specific corrective action was adopted at the meeting. The committee chair closed the session after the six bills were moved out of committee and said the group will meet again for a final session.

Votes at a glance (as recorded in the meeting transcript): - s 47 47 (sponsor: Senator Clear): "An act to amend the Mental Hygiene Law in relation to establishing an intensive addiction recovery and mental health integrated services pilot program" — moved, seconded, reported to the finance committee (voice vote). - s 49 53 (sponsor: Senator Harcombe in the transcript): "An act to amend the Mental Hygiene Law in relation to establishing an intensive addiction and medical services integrated services pilot program" — moved, seconded, recorded one AWR, reported to the finance committee (voice vote). - s 49 56 (sponsor: Senator Harcombe in the transcript): "An act to amend the Mental Hygiene Law in relation to designating services to be provided by a jail-based substance use disorder treatment, peer-led recovery support services, and transition services program as essential medical care services" — moved, seconded, reported to the finance committee (voice vote). - s 51 03 (sponsor: Senator Hartman in the transcript): "An act to amend the Education Law in relation to requiring schools to include instruction on the prevention of co-occurring disorders as an integral part of their health education programs" — moved, seconded (second by Senator Martinez in the transcript), reported to the education committee (voice vote). - s 50 5900 (sponsor: Senator Lanza in the transcript): "An act to amend the Mental Hygiene Law in relation to the distribution in counties with the most prevalent prescription-opioid abuse of educational materials regarding the misuse of and addiction to prescription drugs" — moved, seconded, reported to the calendar (voice vote). - s 67 57 (sponsor: Senator Fernandez in the transcript): described as "An act to amend the renewal by PNOC in relation to state by opioid settlement prevention" — moved, seconded, reported to the calendar; members discussed state reporting and local distribution of opioid-settlement funds and transparency concerns (voice vote).

The meeting record shows committee support for prevention and early education and for expanding treatment and re-entry services, but most bills were handled quickly and no amendments or conditions were adopted in committee. Several members noted budget constraints and federal uncertainty but did not take additional action at the meeting.

The committee chair said the group will meet again for the final session of this standing committee before advancing the measures further in the legislative process.