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Committee lays over bill requiring campus naloxone availability and Dept. of Health training materials
Summary
House File 8‑62 would require opioid antagonists be available in college dormitories and direct the Department of Health to develop training materials. Student leaders and a survivor testified in support. Members asked about misconceptions such as whether naloxone is addictive; witnesses and advocates said it is not.
House File 8‑62, a measure to require opioid antagonists (naloxone) in college and university residence halls and direct the Minnesota Department of Health to provide training materials, was laid over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill after committee action on March 26.
Representative Schumacher, sponsor of the bill, described the measure as requiring opioid antagonists in dorms and directing the Department of Health to produce training materials for campus use. The sponsor noted a fiscal estimate from the Department of Health of roughly $10,000 in 2026 and $2,500 in 2027 to compile resources and training videos.
Student leaders testified in favor of the bill and described on‑campus overdose incidents. Emma Gabbard, student body president at Metro State University, said she had administered naloxone to an overdose victim on public transit and stressed the need for easy access on campuses and in residence halls. “Naloxone is able to save student lives,” she said.
Members asked several questions, including whether naloxone is addictive and whether providing naloxone creates moral‑hazard concerns. Witnesses and the committee’s advocates answered that naloxone is not addictive; it is an opioid antagonist that reverses the effects of opioids but does not produce dependence. Student advocates emphasized that naloxone can buy time for medical response and is especially important where EMS response times are long in rural areas.
Representative Keeler and others voiced support; Representative Carroll asked about potential moral‑hazard concerns and whether additional education should accompany naloxone availability. Testimony emphasized that overdose survivors often welcome help and that administration of naloxone frequently becomes an opportunity to link individuals to treatment, not a substitute for treatment.
The committee adopted an A2 amendment (which added tribal colleges and a related appropriation blank) originating from the Higher Education Committee, and the bill was laid over for possible inclusion in an omnibus measure.
