Louisiana 2021 2021 Regular Session

Louisiana House Bill HCR100 Introduced / Bill

                    HLS 21RS-2411	ORIGINAL
2021 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 100
BY REPRESENTATIVE FONTENOT
DRUGS/CONTROLLED:  Requests the Louisiana Department of Health, office of public
health, to study drug-related overdoses
1	A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health, office of public health, to study
3 how to effectively provide assistance to individuals who are being administered
4 naloxone multiple times, and to report the findings to the legislature prior to the
5 convening of the 2022 Regular Session.
6 WHEREAS, drug overdose deaths are now the number one cause of accidental death
7in the United States; and
8 WHEREAS, the rise in the number of hospitalizations and deaths resulting from
9prescription drug misuse and abuse resulted in increased access to naloxone, and such
10increased use played a role in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's
112014 National Drug Control Strategy, issued July 9, 2014; and
12 WHEREAS, Louisiana has one of the highest per capita overdose rates in the nation,
13ranking eleventh overall; and
14 WHEREAS, last year, fifteen out of every one hundred thousand persons in
15Louisiana died due to accidental overdose; and
16 WHEREAS, many other states have enacted policies to provide limited immunity
17from arrest or prosecution for individuals with minor drug violations in order to encourage
18others to summon help at the scene of an overdose; and
19 WHEREAS, to protect its citizens, Louisiana enacted Act 192 of the 2015 Regular
20Session so that overdose victims can get emergency assistance and follow-up treatment
21without fear of prosecution; and
Page 1 of 2 HLS 21RS-2411	ORIGINAL
HCR NO. 100
1 WHEREAS,  Act 192 of the 2015 Regular Session allows for a person acting in good
2faith to receive a naloxone or other opioid antagonist prescription from a licensed healthcare
3professional, and to possess and administer the naloxone to an individual appearing to
4experience an opiate-related overdose; and
5 WHEREAS, Act 192 further provides that the healthcare professional and the person
6administering the naloxone in good faith shall be immune from prosecution and civil liability
7as a result of their good-faith effort to provide medical assistance; and
8 WHEREAS, administering the naloxone or other opioid antagonist and assisting the
9victim with securing emergency medical attention is evidence of good faith. 
10 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana requests the
11Louisiana Department of Health, office of public health, to study how to effectively provide
12assistance to individuals who are being administered naloxone multiple times and to report
13the findings to the legislature prior to the convening of the 2022 Regular Session. 
14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
15to the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health.
16 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Department of Health, office of
17public health, shall submit one print copy and one electronic copy of any report produced
18pursuant to this Resolution to the David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library as required
19by R.S. 24:772.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services.  It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument.  The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent.  [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 100 Original 2021 Regular Session	Fontenot
Requests the La. Dept. of Health, office of the public health, to study how to effectively
provide assistance to individuals who are being administered naloxone multiple times, and
to report the findings to the legislature prior to the convening of the 2022 R.S.
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