HOUSE . . . . . . . . No. 4712
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, June 6, 2024.
The committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery, to
whom were referred the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1964)
of Ruth B. Balser for legislation to provide that network hospitals be
compensated for behavioral health services to certain MassHealth patients;
the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1965) of Ruth B. Balser and
Lindsay N. Sabadosa relative to quality mental health services in state
correctional facilities; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1968)
of Peter Capano relative to the labeling of opioid prescriptions; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1969) of Simon Cataldo, Kate
Donaghue and Margaret R. Scarsdale relative to the establishment of and
payments into an opioid stewardship fund; the petition (accompanied by
bill, House, No. 1970) of Tackey Chan for legislation to develop training
programs to inform prescribers of non-opioid alternative care options; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1972) of Josh S. Cutler,
Kathleen R. LaNatra and Vanna Howard relative to expanding access to
mental health services and strengthening risk assessment protocols; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1973) of Josh S. Cutler,
Kathleen R. LaNatra and Vanna Howard for legislation to further enhance
behavioral health workforce development; the petition (accompanied by
bill, House, No. 1974) of Josh S. Cutler and Vanna Howard relative to the
use of artificial intelligence in mental health services; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 1976) of Vincent L. Dixon for
legislation to improve the quality of mental health services and rights of
patients by providing for sufficient privacy; the petition (accompanied by
bill, House, No. 1977) of Marjorie C. Decker and Lindsay N. Sabadosa
relative to reporting requirements to identify and eliminate racial and
sexual orientation and gender identity disparities in mental health; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1978) of Marjorie C. Decker,
Lindsay N. Sabadosa and Bud L. Williams for legislation to authorize the
Commissioner of Mental Health to have supervision over the provision of
mental health services to prisoners; the petition (accompanied by bill,
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House, No. 1982) of Carole A. Fiola and others relative to behavioral
health workforce loan repayment eligibility; the petition (accompanied by
resolve, House, No. 1986) of Denise C. Garlick and others for an
investigation by a special commission (including members of the General
Court) to promote safe social media use, identify best practices for social
media platforms to safeguard children’s mental health, and develop
guidelines for safe social media use; the petition (accompanied by bill,
House, No. 1987) of Colleen M. Garry relative to establishing a
commission on post traumatic stress disorder; the petition (accompanied
by bill, House, No. 1990) of Steven S. Howitt and Michael J. Soter
relative to the issuing of the initial prescription of Schedule II controlled
dangerous substances or other opioid pain relievers; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 1991) of Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and
others relative to substance use disorder evaluations; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 1992) of Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and
others relative to treatment for substance use disorder; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 1993) of Kay Khan and others for
legislation to allow for emergency hospitalization of persons suffering
dangerous or violent mental illness; the petition (accompanied by bill,
House, No. 1997) of Michael P. Kushmerek for legislation to further
define medical necessity determinations; the petition (accompanied by
bill, House, No. 1998) of David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf, Mindy Domb
and Vanna Howard relative to reducing the risks of unintended fatal
opioid overdoses; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2001) of
Paul McMurtry and Vanna Howard that the Department of Mental Health
be authorized to establish a program for the treatment and support of
people with mental illness and brain-based disorders; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 2003) of Mathew J. Muratore and others
relative to mental health and suicide prevention; the petition (accompanied
by bill, House, No. 2004) of Tram T. Nguyen that the Department of
Public Health establish a special task force on alcohol and drug free
housing to investigate best practices for alcohol and drug free sober
homes; the joint petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2008) of
Smitty Pignatelli, Joan B. Lovely and others relative to the requirements
and procedures necessary for first responders to provide urgent help to
persons at risk of serious and deadly harm from opioids and opioid
overdose; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2009) of Smitty
Pignatelli and others that the Executive Office of Health and Human
Services develop a pilot program to implement and study the use of
fentanyl testing strips by individuals addicted to opioids and other
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substances; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2010) of
Orlando Ramos for legislation to establish a commission to study
substance use disorder and treatment disparities in minority communities;
the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2011) of Jon Santiago and
David M. Rogers for legislation to expand equity and access to patient
centered care for substance abuse disorders; the petition (accompanied by
bill, House, No. 2013) of Chynah Tyler for an investigation by a special
commission (including members of the General Court) relative to the use
of roommate houses as sober homes or halfway houses; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 2014) of Christopher J. Worrell relative
to recovery housing sober homes in environmental justice communities;
and the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2015) of June
McDonald relative to the limited sharing of medical information with the
family of mentally ill patients in emergency situations, reports
recommending that the accompanying order (House, No. 4712) ought to
be adopted. [Representative Xiarhos of Barnstable dissents.]
For the committee,
ADRIAN C. MADARO.
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 HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4712
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
House of Representatives,
1 Ordered, That the committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery be
2 authorized to sit during a recess of the General Court to make an investigation and study of
3 House documents numbered 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978,
4 1982, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010,
5 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015, relative to matters before the joint committee on mental health,
6 substance use and recovery.
7 Said committee shall report to the General Court the results of its investigation and study
8 and its recommendations, if any, together with drafts of legislation necessary to carry such
9 recommendations into effect, by filing the same with the Clerk of the House of Representatives
10 on or before December 31, 2024.
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