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