General Assembly Raised Bill No. 448
February Session, 2020 LCO No. 2788
Referred to Committee on JUDICIARY
Introduced by:
(JUD)
AN ACT CONCERNING OPIOID ABUSE AND TREATMENT.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
1 Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2020) Not later than forty-five
2 days before the scheduled release of an inmate from the custody of the
3 Commissioner of Correction, including release subject to parole or
4 supervised community setting, the commissioner shall provide each
5 inmate suffering from opioid use disorder, or at risk of developing or
6 relapsing into an opioid use disorder, information and counseling
7 regarding opioid use disorder treatment options, including information
8 on how to access such options after being released into the community.
9 Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2020) (a) On or before January 1, 2021,
10 the Department of Correction, in consultation with the Departments of
11 Public Health and Mental Health and Addiction Services, shall establish
12 a medication-assisted treatment program in correctional facilities for
13 inmates with opioid use disorder. During the first year of operation, at
14 least five correctional facilities shall participate in the program. During
15 the second year of operation, at least thirty per cent of all inmates in
16 correctional facilities shall have access to the program. During the third
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17 year of operation, at least sixty per cent of all inmates in correctional
18 facilities shall have access to the program. During the fourth year and
19 for each subsequent year of operation, one hundred per cent of all
20 inmates in correctional facilities shall have access to the program.
21 (b) Correctional facilities that participate in the program shall (1)
22 establish procedures that enable qualified correctional staff to dispense
23 and administer all drugs approved by the federal Food and Drug
24 Administration for use in medication-assisted treatment of opioid use
25 disorder, and (2) make such treatment available under the program to
26 any inmate for whom such treatment is found to be appropriate by a
27 qualified, licensed health care provider. The program shall ensure that
28 an inmate who has been receiving medication-assisted treatment for
29 opioid use disorder immediately preceding the inmate's incarceration
30 shall continue such treatment while incarcerated unless the inmate
31 voluntarily discontinues such treatment or a qualified, licensed health
32 care provider determines that such treatment is no longer appropriate.
33 To the extent practicable, the Department of Correction shall prioritize
34 placement of inmates who have been receiving medication-assisted
35 treatment for opioid use disorder immediately preceding their
36 incarceration in a correctional facility that provides access to the
37 program.
38 (c) Not later than November 1, 2021, and annually thereafter until
39 November 1, 2025, the Commissioner of Correction shall report to the
40 Governor and, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the
41 general statutes, to the joint standing committees of the General
42 Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health and the
43 judiciary:
44 (1) The cost of the program in the prior year;
45 (2) The projected cost associated with expanding the program to
46 additional correctional facilities for the following year;
47 (3) A summary of changes to correctional facility practices related to
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48 implementation of the program;
49 (4) The type and prevalence of medication-assisted treatment
50 provided under the program; and
51 (5) The number of inmates who (A) received medication-assisted
52 treatment under the program, (B) voluntarily discontinued medication-
53 assisted treatment, and (C) requested but did not receive medication-
54 assisted treatment.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2020 New section
Sec. 2 July 1, 2020 New section
Statement of Purpose:
To require the Department of Correction to provide counseling to
inmates who are suffering from opioid use disorder or at risk of
developing or relapsing into an opioid use disorder prior to such
inmate's release from a correctional facility and to require the
Department of Correction, in consultation with the Departments of
Public Health and Mental Health and Addiction Services to establish a
medication-assisted treatment program for inmates with opioid use
disorder.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]
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