EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb1131*
HOUSE BILL 1131
J1, F2 5lr2053
By: Delegates Vogel and Tomlinson
Introduced and read first time: February 5, 2025
Assigned to: Health and Government Operations
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Public Health – Buprenorphine – Training Grant Program and Workgroup 2
FOR the purpose of establishing the Buprenorphine Training Grant Program to assist 3
counties with offsetting the cost of training paramedics to administer buprenorphine; 4
including the Program as an authorized use of funding from the Opioid Restitution 5
Fund; requiring the Maryland Office of Overdose Response to convene a workgroup 6
to study access to buprenorphine in the State; and generally relating to 7
buprenorphine. 8
BY adding to 9
Article – Health – General 10
Section 13–5501 and 13–5502 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 55. 11
Buprenorphine Training Grant Program” 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 14
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 15
Article – State Finance and Procurement 16
Section 7–331(a) through (e) 17
Annotated Code of Maryland 18
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 19
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 20
Article – State Finance and Procurement 21
Section 7–331(f) 22
Annotated Code of Maryland 23
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 24
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 25
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 26
2 HOUSE BILL 1131
Article – Health – General 1
SUBTITLE 55. BUPRENORPHINE TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM. 2
13–5501. 3
(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 4
INDICATED. 5
(B) “PARAMEDIC” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 13–516 OF THE 6
EDUCATION ARTICLE. 7
(C) “PROGRAM” MEANS THE BUPRENORPHINE TRAINING GRANT 8
PROGRAM. 9
13–5502. 10
(A) (1) THERE IS A BUPRENORPHINE TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM IN 11
THE DEPARTMENT . 12
(2) THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO ASSIST A COUNTY WITH 13
OFFSETTING THE COST OF TRAINING PARAMEDI CS TO ADMINISTER 14
BUPRENORPHINE . 15
(B) A COUNTY MAY APPLY TO THE DEPARTMENT FOR A GRANT FROM THE 16
PROGRAM. 17
(C) A COUNTY MAY USE A GRA NT AWARDED UNDER THE PROGRAM ONLY 18
FOR TRAINING PARAMED ICS TO ADMINISTER BUPRENORPHINE . 19
(D) THE GOVERNOR SHALL INCLUDE IN THE ANNUA L BUDGET BILL AN 20
APPROPRIATION OF AT LEAST $50,000 FROM THE OPIOID RESTITUTION FUND FOR 21
THE PROGRAM. 22
Article – State Finance and Procurement 23
7–331. 24
(a) In this section, “Fund” means the Opioid Restitution Fund. 25
(b) There is an Opioid Restitution Fund. 26
(c) The purpose of the Fund is to retain the amount of settlement revenues 27
deposited to the Fund in accordance with subsection (e)(1) of this section. 28
HOUSE BILL 1131 3
(d) (1) The Fund is a special, nonlapsing fund that is not subject to § 7–302 of 1
this subtitle. 2
(2) The State Treasurer shall hold the Fund separately, and the 3
Comptroller shall account for the Fund. 4
(e) The Fund consists of: 5
(1) all revenues received by the State from any source resulting, directly or 6
indirectly, from any judgment against, or settlement with, opioid manufacturers, opioid 7
research associations, or any other person in the opioid industry relating to any claims 8
made or prosecuted by the State to recover damages for violations of State law; and 9
(2) the interest earnings of the Fund. 10
(f) The Fund may be used only to provide funds for: 11
(1) programs, services, supports, and resources for evidence–based 12
substance use disorder prevention, treatment, recovery, or harm reduction that have the 13
purpose of: 14
(i) improving access to medications proven to prevent or reverse an 15
overdose, including by supporting the initiative to co–locate naloxone with automated 16
external defibrillators placed in public buildings under § 13–518 of the Education Article; 17
(ii) supporting peer support specialists and screening, brief 18
intervention, and referral to treatment services for hospitals, correctional facilities, and 19
other high–risk populations; 20
(iii) increasing access to medications that support recovery from 21
substance use disorders; 22
(iv) expanding the Heroin Coordinator Program, including for 23
administrative expenses; 24
(v) expanding access to crisis beds and residential treatment 25
services for adults and minors; 26
(vi) expanding and establishing safe stations, mobile crisis response 27
systems, and crisis stabilization centers; 28
(vii) supporting the behavioral health crisis hotline; 29
(viii) organizing primary and secondary school education campaigns 30
to prevent opioid use, including for administrative expenses; 31
4 HOUSE BILL 1131
(ix) enforcing the laws regarding opioid prescriptions and sales, 1
including for administrative expenses; 2
(x) research regarding and training for substance use treatment and 3
overdose prevention, including for administrative expenses; and 4
(xi) supporting and expanding other evidence–based interventions 5
for overdose prevention and substance use treatment; 6
(2) supporting community–based nonprofit recovery organizations that 7
provide nonclinical substance use recovery support services in the State; 8
(3) evidence–informed substance use disorder prevention, treatment 9
recovery, or harm reduction pilot programs or demonstration studies that are not 10
evidence–based if the Opioid Restitution Fund Advisory Council, established under § 11
7.5–902 of the Health – General Article: 12
(i) determines that emerging evidence supports the distribution of 13
money for the pilot program or that there is a reasonable basis for funding the 14
demonstration study with the expectation of creating an evidence–based program; and 15
(ii) approves the use of money for the pilot program or demonstration 16
study; [and] 17
(4) evaluations of the effectiveness and outcomes reporting for substance 18
use disorder abatement infrastructure, programs, services, supports, and resources for 19
which money from the Fund was used, including evaluations of the impact on access to 20
harm reduction services or treatment for substance use disorders and the reduction in 21
drug–related mortality; AND 22
(5) THE BUPRENORPHINE TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM 23
ESTABLISHED UNDER § 13–5502 OF THE HEALTH – GENERAL ARTICLE. 24
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That: 25
(a) The Maryland Office of Overdose Response shall convene a workgroup to 26
study access to buprenorphine in the State. 27
(b) The workgroup shall include: 28
(1) one member of the Senate of Maryland, appointed by the President of 29
the Senate; 30
(2) one member of the House of Delegates, appointed by the Speaker of the 31
House; and 32
(3) representatives of: 33 HOUSE BILL 1131 5
(i) the Maryland Institute of Emergency Medical Services Systems; 1
(ii) the Behavioral Health Administration; 2
(iii) hospitals; 3
(iv) local behavioral health agencies; and 4
(v) the Maryland Association of Counties. 5
(c) The workgroup shall examine: 6
(1) how buprenorphine services are offered in the State; 7
(2) the capacity of providers to provide buprenorphine; 8
(3) any geographic areas where significant gaps in buprenorphine services 9
may exist; 10
(4) the feasibility of financial support for a long–term expansion of 11
buprenorphine services; 12
(5) a plan for ongoing data collection for the purpose of the monitoring and 13
improvement of buprenorphine services; 14
(6) how to effectively grow a hub–and–spoke model to ensure access to 15
buprenorphine in the State; and 16
(7) any other strategies that would improve buprenorphine services in the 17
State. 18
(d) On or before December 31, 2025, the Maryland Office of Overdose Response 19
shall submit a report on the findings and recommendations of the workgroup, including the 20
need for any statutory changes, to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the 21
State Government Article, the Senate Finance Committee and the House Health and 22
Government Operations Committee. 23
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That Section 1 of this Act shall take 24
effect October 1, 2025. Section 1 of this Act shall remain in effect for a period of 5 years and, 25
at the end of September 30, 2030, Section 1 of this Act, with no further action required by 26
the General Assembly, shall be abrogated and of no further force and effect. 27
SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That , except as provided in Section 28
3 of this Act, this Act shall take effect July 1, 2025. Section 2 of this Act shall remain 29
effective for a period of 1 year and, at the end of June 30, 2026, Section 2 of this Act, with 30 6 HOUSE BILL 1131
no further action required by the General Assembly, shall be abrogated and of no further 1
force and effect. 2