HB1245--HYPODERMICNEEDLES
SPONSOR: Stinnett
COMMITTEEACTION:Voted"DoPass"bytheStandingCommitteeon
HealthandMentalHealthPolicybyavoteof11to0.
ThisbillrequirestheDepartmentofHealthandSeniorServicesto
createaregistrationprocessfororganizationsinterestedin
operatingasyringeaccessprogram,orsimilarprogramintendedto
mitigatehealthrisksassociatedwithinjectabledruguse.No
entityregisteredwiththeDepartmentshallbepresentwithin500
feetofanyschoolbuildingiftheschoolbuildingwasestablished
priortotheentity'soperation.
Inaddition,thisbillexemptsanyentityregisteredwiththe
DepartmentofHealthandSeniorServicesthatpossess,distributes,
delivers,ormanufactureshypodermicneedlesorsyringesforthe
operationofasyringeexchangeprogramortootherwisemitigate
healthrisksassociatedwithunsterilizedinjectiondrugsfromthe
lawscontrollingtheunlawfuldistribution,delivery,sale,
possession,andmanufacturingofdrugparaphernalia.
ThisbillisthesameasHB506(2023)andsimilartoHB1844
(2022).
PROPONENTS: Supporterssaythatthislegislationwouldbeagood
wayforpeoplestrugglingwithsubstanceabusedisordertogetinto
thesystem,wheretheymayfindfurtheraccesstoresourcessuchas
counselingandcleaneritems.Avarietyofstudieshavedisproven
concernsthatthesecreateahigherleverofunsafecommunitiesor
furtherpushpeopleintosubstanceuse.Additionally,this
legislationfollowsaneffectiveandevidence-basedmodelfor
reducingthespreadofbloodbornepathogens. Moreover,thishasan
additionalimpactofsupportingfirstrespondersinkeepingthem
saferwhileonduty.
TestifyinginpersonforthebillwereRepresentative Stinnett;
MissouriNursesAssociation;NationalAssociationofSocialWorkers
MoChapter,BJCHealthcare,Coxhealth;MissouriCenterforPublic
HealthExcellence;ViventHealth;MissouriFamilyHealthCouncil,
Inc.;andtheNationalAssociationofSocialWorkersMissouri
Chapter,St.LouisCounty.
OPPONENTS: Therewasnooppositionvoicedtothecommittee.
Writtentestimonyhasbeensubmittedforthisbill.Thefull
writtentestimonyandwitnessestestifyingonlinecanbefound
underTestimonyonthebillpageontheHousewebsite.