Senate committee backs bill to protect pregnant women on prescribed opioid‑use medications

A Senate committee on Thursday reported House Bill 283, a measure to clarify that pregnant women taking physician‑prescribed medications for opioid use disorder — such as methadone or buprenorphine — are not, solely for that reason, engaged in child abuse or neglect.

Sponsor Delegate Gardner said the bill removes ambiguity in state law that has forced some pregnant women to choose between continuing treatment and risking Child Protective Services involvement. “This bill codifies what the Virginia Department of Social Services is already doing,” Gardner said, arguing the change provides uniform statutory permanency.

Multiple witnesses urged the committee to pass the bill, describing the real‑world consequences of the existing ambiguity. Lane Siebert, who testified as a social‑work graduate student and person in long‑term recovery, said methadone treatment during pregnancy gave her a chance to remain with her child and warned that fear of CPS can keep people from seeking care. “Methadone gave me a chance to be a mother,” Siebert said.

Senator Favola and other members noted the policy is already embedded in regulation but said statutory clarification is appropriate to make the protection uniform across localities. The committee adopted a motion to report the bill; the transcript records the roll call in shorthand that appears as 'As 11 noes for,' a phrase that is ambiguous in the record and whose precise tally is not specified in the transcript.

The bill now moves from the committee to the Senate floor process; supporters said the change aims to reduce barriers to treatment and help prevent overdose and relapse among pregnant people in recovery.

Supporters recommended continued outreach to local DSS offices to ensure regulations are applied consistently across the Commonwealth.