EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*sb0594*
SENATE BILL 594
J1 5lr3439
CF HB 729
By: Senator Ellis
Introduced and read first time: January 23, 2025
Assigned to: Finance
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: February 12, 2025
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Public Health – Use of Opioid Restitution Fund and Training Under the 2
Overdose Response Program 3
FOR the purpose of altering the training that the Maryland Department of Health is 4
authorized to provide under the Overdose Response Program; clarifying that the use 5
of the Opioid Restitution Fund is subject to certain restrictions; altering the 6
authorized uses of the Opioid Restitution Fund; and generally relating to the Opioid 7
Restitution Fund and the Overdose Response Program. 8
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 9
Article – Health – General 10
Section 13–3101(a) and (d) 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 14
Article – Health – General 15
Section 13–3103(b) 16
Annotated Code of Maryland 17
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 18
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 19
Article – State Finance and Procurement 20
Section 7–331(a) through (e) 21
Annotated Code of Maryland 22 2 SENATE BILL 594
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 1
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 2
Article – State Finance and Procurement 3
Section 7–331(f) 4
Annotated Code of Maryland 5
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 6
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 7
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 8
Article – Health – General 9
13–3101. 10
(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 11
(d) “Program” means the Overdose Response Program. 12
13–3103. 13
(b) The Department may: 14
(1) Collect fees necessary for the administration of the Program; 15
(2) Authorize private or public entities to conduct education and training 16
on opioid overdose recognition and response that include: 17
(i) Education on recognizing the signs and symptoms of an opioid 18
overdose; 19
(ii) Training on responding to an opioid overdose, including the 20
administration of opioid overdose reversal drugs approved by the federal Food and Drug 21
Administration, EMPHASIZING THE REST ORATION OF BREATHING , AVOIDING 22
WITHDRAWAL , AND COMPASSIONATE PO STOVERDOSE SUPPORT A ND CARE; and 23
(iii) Access to opioid overdose reversal drugs approved by the federal 24
Food and Drug Administration and the necessary supplies for the administration of the 25
opioid overdose reversal drugs; 26
(3) Develop guidance regarding the content of educational training 27
programs conducted by private or public entities; and 28
(4) Collect and report data on the operation and results of the programs. 29
Article – State Finance and Procurement 30
SENATE BILL 594 3
7–331. 1
(a) In this section, “Fund” means the Opioid Restitution Fund. 2
(b) There is an Opioid Restitution Fund. 3
(c) The purpose of the Fund is to retain the amount of settlement revenues 4
deposited to the Fund in accordance with subsection (e)(1) of this section. 5
(d) (1) The Fund is a special, nonlapsing fund that is not subject to § 7–302 of 6
this subtitle. 7
(2) The State Treasurer shall hold the Fund separ ately, and the 8
Comptroller shall account for the Fund. 9
(e) The Fund consists of: 10
(1) all revenues received by the State from any source resulting, directly or 11
indirectly, from any judgment against, or settlement with, opioid manufacturers, opioid 12
research associations, or any other person in the opioid industry relating to any claims 13
made or prosecuted by the State to recover damages for violations of State law; and 14
(2) the interest earnings of the Fund. 15
(f) The Fund may be used only to provide funds for THE PURPOSES SPECIFI ED 16
IN SETTLEMENT AGREEM ENTS AND JUDGMENTS R ELATING TO CLAIMS BY THE 17
STATE AGAINST OPIOID MANUFACTURERS , OPIOID RESEARCH ASSO CIATIONS, OR 18
ANY OTHER PERSON IN THE OPIOID INDUSTRY FOR VIOLATIONS OF STATE LAW, 19
INCLUDING: 20
(1) programs, services, supports, and resources for evidence–based 21
substance use disorder prevention, treatment, recovery, or harm reduction that have the 22
purpose of:; 23
(i) improving access to medications proven to prevent or reverse an 24
overdose, including by supporting the initiative to co–locate naloxone with automated 25
external defibrillators placed in public buildings under § 13–518 of the Education Article; 26
(ii) supporting peer support specialists and screening, brief 27
intervention, and referral to treatment services for hospitals, correctional facilities, and 28
other high–risk populations; 29
(iii) increasing access to medications that support recovery from 30
substance use disorders; AND 31
4 SENATE BILL 594
(iv) expanding the Heroin Coordinator Program, including for 1
administrative expenses; 2
[(v) expanding access to crisis beds and residential treatment 3
services for adults and minors; 4
(vi) expanding and establishing safe stations, mobile crisis response 5
systems, and crisis stabilization centers; 6
(vii) supporting the behavioral health crisis hotline; 7
(viii) organizing primary and secondary school education campaigns 8
to prevent opioid use, including for administrative expenses; 9
(ix) enforcing the laws regarding opioid prescriptions and sales, 10
including for administrative expenses; 11
(x) research regarding and training for substance use treatment and 12
overdose prevention, including for administrative expenses; and 13
(xi) supporting and expanding other evidence–based interventions 14
for overdose prevention and substance use treatment;] 15
(2) supporting community–based nonprofit recovery organizations that 16
provide nonclinical substance use recovery support services in the State; 17
(3) ADDRESSING RACIAL DI SPARITIES IN ACCESS TO PREVENTION , 18
HARM REDUCTION, TREATMENT , AND RECOVERY SUPPORT SERVICES; 19
(4) evidence–informed substance use disorder prevention, treatment 20
recovery, or harm reduction pilot programs or demonstration studies that are not 21
evidence–based if the Opioid Restitution Fund Advisory Council, established under § 22
7.5–902 of the Health – General Article: 23
(i) determines that emerging evidence supports the distribution of 24
money for the pilot program or that there is a reasonable basis for funding the 25
demonstration study with the expectation of creating an evidence–based program; and 26
(ii) approves the use of money for the pilot program or demonstration 27
study; and 28
[(4)] (5) evaluations of the effectiveness and outcomes reporting for 29
substance use disorder abatement infrastructure, programs, services, supports, and 30
resources for which money from the Fund was used, including evaluations of the impact on 31
access to harm reduction services or treatment for substance use disorders and the 32
reduction in drug–related mortality. 33 SENATE BILL 594 5
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 1
1, 2025. 2
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.