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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 6698
January Session, 2023
AN ACT CONCERNING DRUG POLICY, SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND
PEER SUPPORT SERVICES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) (a) As used in this section: 1
(1) "Chief Drug Policy Officer" and "officer" mean the individual 2
appointed pursuant to subsection (b) of this section; 3
(2) "Office of Governmental Accountability" means the office 4
established in section 1-300 of the general statutes, as amended by this 5
act; 6
(3) "Office of the Chief Drug Policy Officer" and "office" mean the 7
office established in subsection (b) of this section; 8
(4) "Opioid use disorder" has the same meaning as provided in 9
section 17a-673b of the general statutes, as amended by this act; 10
(5) "State agency" means any department , board, council, 11
commission, institution or other executive branch agency of state 12
government; 13
(6) "State-wide peer navigator program" means the state-wide 14
program established pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of 15 Substitute Bill No. 6698
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section 17a-673b of the general statutes, as amended by this act; and 16
(7) "Substance use disorder" means a pattern of alcohol or other 17
substance use that meets the applicable diagnostic criteria delineated in 18
the most recent edition of the American Psychiatric Association's 19
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and includes, but 20
is not limited to, opioid use disorder. 21
(b) There is established, within the Office of Governmental 22
Accountability, an Office of the Chief Drug Policy Officer. The Office of 23
the Chief Drug Policy Officer shall be administered by a Chief Drug 24
Policy Officer, who shall: 25
(1) Have knowledge of substance use disorders and services 26
provided to individuals with substance use disorders and their families; 27
(2) Be appointed by the Governor with the approval of the General 28
Assembly; 29
(3) Serve for a term of four years and may be reappointed or shall 30
continue to hold office until a successor is appointed and qualified; and 31
(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of the general statutes, act 32
independently of any state agency in performing the officer's duties. 33
(c) The Chief Drug Policy Officer, within available appropriations, 34
shall: 35
(1) Appoint such staff as the officer deems necessary, which staff may 36
perform the officer's duties set forth in this subsection under the officer's 37
direction; 38
(2) Ensure that the office serves as the central point of contact for the 39
state-wide peer navigator program; 40
(3) Ensure that the office serves as a centralized location for collecting 41
information concerning services provided to individuals with substance 42
use disorders and their families; 43 Substitute Bill No. 6698
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(4) Evaluate the services that other state agencies and other entities 44
provide to individuals with substance use disorders and their families, 45
and the manner in which such agencies and entities provide such 46
services; 47
(5) Encourage coordination between state agencies in providing 48
services to individuals with substance use disorders and their families 49
for the purpose of preventing and eliminating duplication of efforts and 50
decreasing costs incurred by state agencies in providing such services; 51
(6) Receive and review complaints submitted by persons concerning 52
the actions of state agencies and other entities that provide services to 53
individuals with substance use disorders and their families, and 54
investigate any such complaint that the officer believes indicates that an 55
individual with a substance use disorder, or the family of any such 56
individual, requires the officer's assistance; 57
(7) Recommend changes in state policies concerning substance use 58
disorders, including, but not limited to, changes in systems used to 59
provide services to individuals with substance use disorders and their 60
families; 61
(8) Conduct programs of public education, undertake legislative 62
advocacy and make proposals for systemic reform concerning substance 63
use disorders and services provided to individuals with substance use 64
disorders and their families; and 65
(9) Advise the public concerning the purpose of the office, the 66
services provided by the office and contact information for the office. 67
(d) Not later than January 31, 2024, and annually thereafter, the Chief 68
Drug Policy Officer shall submit a report to the Governor, and to the 69
joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance 70
of matters relating to consumer protection, public health and the 71
judiciary in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the 72
general statutes, detailing and analyzing the Office of the Chief Drug 73
Policy Officer's work during the preceding calendar year. 74 Substitute Bill No. 6698
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Sec. 2. Section 1-300 of the general statutes is repealed and the 75
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2023): 76
(a) There is established the Office of Governmental Accountability. 77
The executive administrator of the office shall serve as the 78
administrative head of the office, who shall be appointed in accordance 79
with the provisions of section 1-301, as amended by this act. 80
(b) The Office of Governmental Accountability shall provide 81
personnel, payroll, affirmative action and administrative and business 82
office functions and information technology associated with such 83
functions for the following: The Judicial Review Council established 84
under section 51-51k, Judicial Selection Commission established under 85
section 51-44a, Board of Firearms Permit Examiners established under 86
section 29-32b, Office of the Child Advocate established under section 87
46a-13k, Office of the Victim Advocate established under section 46a-88
13b, State Contracting Standards Board established under section 4e-2, 89
[and] Office of the Correction Ombuds [,] established under section 18-90
81qq, and Office of the Chief Drug Policy Officer established under 91
subsection (b) of section 1 of this act. The personnel, payroll, affirmative 92
action and administrative and business office functions of said offices, 93
commission, council and boards shall be merged and consolidated 94
within the Office of Governmental Accountability. 95
(c) The executive administrator may employ necessary staff to carry 96
out the administrative functions of the Office of Governmental 97
Accountability, within available appropriations. Such necessary staff of 98
the Office of Governmental Accountability shall be in classified service. 99
(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect or limit the 100
independent decision-making authority of the Judicial Review Council, 101
Judicial Selection Commission, Board of Firearms Permit Examiners, 102
Office of the Child Advocate, Office of the Victim Advocate, State 103
Contracting Standards Board, [or] Office of the Correction Ombuds or 104
Office of the Chief Drug Policy Officer. Such decision-making authority 105
includes, but is not limited to, decisions concerning budgetary issues 106 Substitute Bill No. 6698
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and concerning the employment of necessary staff to carry out the 107
statutory duties of each such office, commission, council or board. 108
Sec. 3. Subsection (a) of section 1-301 of the general statutes is 109
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 110
2023): 111
(a) (1) There shall be a Governmental Accountability Commission, 112
within the Office of Governmental Accountability established under 113
section 1-300, as amended by this act, that shall consist of [seven] eight 114
members as follows: (A) The executive director of the Judicial Review 115
Council established under section 51-51k, or the executive director's 116
designee; (B) the chairperson of the Judicial Selection Commission 117
established under section 51-44a, or the chairperson's designee; (C) the 118
chairperson of the Board of Firearms Permit Examiners established 119
under section 29-32b, or the chairperson's designee; (D) the Child 120
Advocate appointed under section 46a-13k, or the advocate's designee; 121
(E) the Victim Advocate appointed under section 46a-13b, or the 122
advocate's designee; (F) the chairperson of the State Contracting 123
Standards Board established under section 4e-2, or the chairperson's 124
designee; [and] (G) the Correction Ombuds appointed under section 18-125
81jj, or the Correction Ombuds' designee; and (H) the Chief Drug Policy 126
Officer appointed under subsection (b) of section 1 of this act, or the 127
Chief Drug Policy Officer's designee, provided no person serving as a 128
designee under this subsection may be a state employee. The 129
Governmental Accountability Commission shall select a chairperson 130
who shall preside at meetings of the commission. Said commission shall 131
meet for the purpose of making recommendations to the Governor for 132
candidates for the executive administrator of the Office of 133
Governmental Accountability pursuant to the provisions of subsection 134
(b) of this section, or for the purpose of terminating the employment of 135
the executive administrator. 136
(2) The commission established under subdivision (1) of this 137
subsection shall not be construed to be a board or commission within 138
the meaning of section 4-9a. 139 Substitute Bill No. 6698
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Sec. 4. Section 17a-673b of the general statutes is repealed and the 140
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2023): 141
(a) As used in this section: 142
(1) "Chief Drug Policy Officer" means the individual appointed 143
pursuant to subsection (b) of section 1 of this act; 144
[(1)] (2) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Mental Health 145
and Addiction Services; 146
[(2)] (3) "Department" means the Department of Mental Health and 147
Addiction Services; 148
(4) "Office of the Chief Drug Policy Officer" means the office 149
established in subsection (b) of section 1 of this act; 150
(5) "Opioid Settlement Fund" means the fund established in section 151
17a-674c, as amended by this act; 152
[(3)] (6) "Opioid use disorder" means a medical condition 153
characterized by a problematic pattern of opioid use and misuse leading 154
to clinically significant impairment or distress; and 155
[(4)] (7) "Peer navigator" means a person who (A) has experience 156
working with persons with substance use disorder, as defined in section 157
[20-74] 20-74s, (B) provides nonmedical mental health care and 158
substance use services to such persons, and (C) has a collaborative 159
relationship with a health care professional authorized to prescribe 160
medications to treat opioid use disorder. 161
(b) (1) On or before January 1, 2023, the department shall establish, 162
within available appropriations, a pilot program in urban, suburban 163
and rural communities to serve persons with opioid use disorder in such 164
communities. The department shall establish the pilot program in up to 165
five such communities in accordance with such terms and conditions as 166
the commissioner may prescribe. 167 Substitute Bill No. 6698
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(2) On or before January 1, 2024, the department shall replace, within 168
the funds available in the Opioid Settlement Fund, the pilot program 169
established pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection with a state-170
wide peer navigator program to serve persons with opioid use disorder 171
in all communities in this state that elect to participate in such program. 172
The department shall establish such state-wide program in accordance 173
with such terms and conditions as the commissioner, in consultation 174
with the Chief Drug Policy Officer, may prescribe. The Office of the 175
Chief Drug Policy Officer shall serve as the central point of contact for 176
such state-wide program. 177
(c) Each community in which the pilot or state-wide program is 178
established under subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (b) of this section, 179
as applicable, shall form a team of at least two peer navigators. The team 180
shall work in the community to (1) increase engagement between 181
providers of treatment services, health care and social services and 182
persons with opioid use disorder, (2) improve the retention of such 183
persons in treatment for opioid use disorder by addressing social 184
determinants of health of such persons and emerging local conditions 185
that affect such social determinants of health, and (3) increase the 186
capacity of the community to support such persons by identifying and 187
addressing systemic barriers to treatment services, health care, social 188
services and social support of such persons. The team shall (A) travel 189
throughout the community to address, in person, the health care and 190
social needs of persons with opioid use disorder, and (B) be accessible 191
to such persons through (i) a telephone number that has texting 192
capabilities, and (ii) social media. Each peer navigator that participates 193
in the pilot or state-wide program shall receive regularly updated 194
training, as determined by the commissioner for the pilot program, or 195
by the commissioner in consultation with the Chief Drug Policy Officer 196
for the state-wide program, on noncoercive and nonstigmatizing 197
methods for engaging [those] persons with opioid use disorder. 198
(d) (1) On or before January 1, 2024, the commissioner shall report, in 199
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing 200
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 201 Substitute Bill No. 6698
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relating to public health regarding the success of the pilot program in 202
serving persons with opioid use disorder. [and any recommendations 203
for continuing the pilot program or expanding the pilot program into 204
other communities in the state.] 205
(2) On or before January 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, the 206
commissioner shall report, in consultation with the Chief Drug Policy 207
Officer and in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the 208
joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance 209
of matters relating to consumer protection and public health regarding 210
the success of the state-wide program in serving persons with opioid 211
use disorder. 212
Sec. 5. Subsection (e) of section 17a-674c of the general statutes is 213
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 214
2023): 215
(e) Moneys in the fund shall be spent only for the following substance 216
use disorder abatement purposes, in accordance with the controlling 217
judgment, consent decree or settlement, as confirmed by the Attorney 218
General's review of such judgment, consent decree or settlement and 219
upon the approval of the committee and the Secretary of the Office of 220
Policy and Management: 221
(1) State-wide, regional or community substance use disorder needs 222
assessments to identify structural gaps and needs to inform 223
expenditures from the fund; 224
(2) Infrastructure required for evidence-based substance use disorder 225
prevention, treatment, recovery or harm reduction programs, services 226
and supports; 227
(3) Programs, services, supports and resources for evidence-based 228
substance use disorder prevention, treatment, recovery or harm 229
reduction; 230
(4) Evidence-informed substance use disorder prevention, treatment, 231 Substitute Bill No. 6698
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recovery or harm reduction pilot programs or demonstration studies 232
that are not evidence-based, but are approved by the committee as an 233
appropriate use of moneys for a limited period of time as specified by 234
the committee, provided the committee shall assess whether the 235
evidence supports funding such programs or studies or whether it 236
provides a basis for funding such programs or studies with an 237
expectation of creating an evidence base for such programs and studies; 238
(5) Evaluation of effectiveness and outcomes reporting for substance 239
use disorder abatement infrastructure, programs, services, supports and 240
resources for which moneys from the fund have been disbursed, 241
including, but not limited to, impact on access to harm reduction 242
services or treatment for substance use disorders or reduction in drug-243
related mortality; 244
(6) One or more publicly available data interfaces managed by the 245
commissioner to aggregate, track and report data on (A) substance use 246
disorders, overdoses and drug-related harms, (B) spending 247
recommendations, plans and reports, and (C) outcomes of programs, 248
services, supports and resources for which moneys from the fund were 249
disbursed; 250
(7) Research on opioid abatement, including, but not limited to, 251
development of evidence-based treatment, barriers to treatment, 252
nonopioid treatment of chronic pain and harm reduction, supply-side 253
enforcement; 254
(8) Documented expenses incurred in administering and staffing the 255
fund and the committee, and expenses, including, but not limited to, 256
legal fees, incurred by the state or any municipality in securing 257
settlement proceeds, deposited in the fund as permitted by the 258
controlling judgment, consent decree or settlement; 259
(9) Documented expenses associated with managing, investing and 260
disbursing moneys in the fund; [and] 261
(10) Documented expenses, including legal fees, incurred by the state 262 Substitute Bill No. 6698
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or any municipality in securing settlement proceeds deposited in the 263
fund to the extent such expenses are not otherwise reimbursed pursuant 264
to a fee agreement provided for by the controlling judgment, consent 265
decree or settlement; and 266
(11) Documented expenses incurred in administering the state-wide 267
peer navigator program established pursuant to subdivision (2) of 268
subsection (b) of section 17a-673b, as amended by this act. 269
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2023 New section
Sec. 2 July 1, 2023 1-300
Sec. 3 July 1, 2023 1-301(a)
Sec. 4 July 1, 2023 17a-673b
Sec. 5 July 1, 2023 17a-674c(e)
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 1(c)(5), "use" was added after "substance" for internal
consistency; Section 1(d) was rewritten for clarity; in Section 3(a)(1),
Subpara. (H) was moved to clarify the applicability of the provision
concerning the employment status of persons serving as designees; in
Section 4(a)(7), "20-74" was bracketed and "20-74s" was inserted after the
closing bracket for accuracy; in Section 4(c), "subsection (b) of this
section" was changed to "subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (b) of this
section, as applicable," and the last sentence was rewritten, for clarity.
GL Joint Favorable Subst.