RECOMMENDATIONS AND INSTRUCTION

ABOUT OPIOID ABUSE AND ADDICTION

House Bills 4406 & 4407 as introduced

Sponsor:  Rep. Beth Griffin

Committee:  Health Policy

Complete to 4-25-17

SUMMARY:

House Bill 4406 would add a section to the Public Health Code (proposed MCL 333.7113a), which would require the Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Commission to develop and provide recommendations for the instruction of students on prescription opioid drug abuse to the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) by January 1, 2018.  These must include recommendations for instruction on the prescription drug epidemic and the connection between prescription drug epidemic and the connection between prescription opioid drug abuse and addiction to other drugs.

[The Commission, created within the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) by Governor Snyder's Executive Order No. 2016-15,[1] replaced the Controlled Substances Advisory Commission and the Advisory Committee on Pain and Symptom Management.  It was charged with reviewing the 2015 Report of Findings and Recommendations for Action from the Michigan Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Task Force, and developing and proposing policies to implement those recommendations, among other tasks.] 

House Bill 4407 would add a section to the Revised School Code (proposed MCL 380.1503) that would require the board of a school district or board of directors of a public school academy (PSA, or charter school) to include a program on prescription opioid drug abuse in its required health education curriculum.[2] 

No later than July 1, 2018, the MDE must develop or adopt a model program of instruction on prescription opioid drug abuse based on the recommendations developed by the Commission, described above. This model program must include, at least, instruction on the prescription drug epidemic and the connection between prescription opioid drug abuse and addiction to other drugs.

The bills are tie-barred together, meaning neither could take effect unless both are enacted.  They would take effect 90 days after enactment.

FISCAL IMPACT:

House Bill 4407 would have an indeterminate cost increase for the state, as well as for school districts and public school academies (PSAs). The state would incur an indeterminate cost increase for administrative resources to develop or adopt a model program of instruction on prescription opioid drug abuse and make it available to school districts and PSAs.  School districts and PSAs would then incur an indeterminate cost increase, at least initially, for administrative resources to adapt the current health education curriculum to include a program of instruction on prescription opioid drug abuse.

A fiscal analysis for House Bill 4406 is in progress.

                                                                                        Legislative Analyst:   Jenny McInerney

                                                                                                Fiscal Analyst:   Marcus Coffin

                                                                                                                           Bethany Wicksall

                                                                                                                           Samuel Christensen

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.

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