State Democrats File Legislation to Combat Opioid Crisis
January 11th, 2018 by Jake Stofan
State Democratic Lawmakers announced seven new pieces of legislation aimed at combating the opioid crisis Thursday morning.
The bills range from privacy protections for drug counselors, expanding Medicaid to cover addiction services and creating new requirements for insurance companies to cover mental health services in the same way they cover other illnesses.
There are also new programs being proposed such as a statewide needle exchange, outreach to addicted parents, and increased education for college students about the dangers of addiction.
Representative Kionne McGhee says he’s confident the proposals will stand a chance at passing because of the bi-partisan nature of the issue.
“I can almost assure you, there’s not a single Legislator here, either in the Senate or in the House, who has not seen the effects of what these drugs are causing in our community. So for the 20.3 million American who are out there,” said McGhee. “I can tell you as I stand here with my colleagues who have proposed the bills, that better days are here. Better days are coming. This is not a partisan issue.”
Other bills filed Thursday include warning labels on opioid prescriptions and a $10 court fee for drug related cases to go towards helping rule counties fight the crisis.
Posted in State News | 
No Comments »