By: Huffman, Nelson S.B. No. 1827
(In the Senate - Filed March 12, 2021; March 26, 2021, read
first time and referred to Committee on Finance; April 21, 2021,
reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the
following vote: Yeas 13, Nays 0; April 21, 2021, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1827 By: Huffman
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the creation of the opioid abatement account and to a
statewide opioid settlement agreement.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter G, Chapter 403, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 403.1044 to read as follows:
Sec. 403.1044. OPIOID ABATEMENT ACCOUNT. (a) The opioid
abatement account is a dedicated account in the general revenue
fund.
(b) The account is composed of:
(1) money received by the state from any source
resulting directly or indirectly from an action by the state
against an opioid manufacturer, an opioid distributor, or another
person in the opioid industry relating to a violation of state or
federal law on the manufacture, marketing, distribution, or sale of
opioids, other than money distributed to a political subdivision of
the state in accordance with the terms of a settlement agreement or
judgment;
(2) money appropriated or transferred to the account
by the legislature;
(3) gifts and grants contributed to the account; and
(4) earnings on the principal of the account.
(c) Money in the account may be appropriated only to a state
agency for the abatement of opioid-related harms.
(d) A state agency may use money appropriated to the agency
from the account only to:
(1) prevent opioid use disorder through
evidence-based education and prevention, such as school-based
prevention, early intervention, or health care services or programs
intended to reduce the risk of opioid use by school-age children;
(2) support efforts to prevent or reduce deaths from
opioid overdoses or other opioid-related harms, including through
increasing the availability or distribution of naloxone or other
opioid antagonists for use by health care providers, first
responders, persons experiencing an opioid overdose, families,
schools, community-based service providers, social workers, or
other members of the public;
(3) create and provide training on the treatment of
opioid addiction, including the treatment of opioid dependence with
each medication approved for that purpose by the United States Food
and Drug Administration, medical detoxification, relapse
prevention, patient assessment, individual treatment planning,
counseling, recovery supports, diversion control, and other best
practices;
(4) provide opioid use disorder treatment for youths
and adults, with an emphasis on programs that provide a continuum of
care that includes screening and assessment for opioid use disorder
and co-occurring behavioral health disorders, early intervention,
contingency management, cognitive behavioral therapy, case
management, relapse management, counseling services, and
medication-assisted treatments;
(5) provide patients suffering from opioid dependence
with access to all medications approved by the United States Food
and Drug Administration for the treatment of opioid dependence and
relapse prevention following opioid detoxification, including
opioid agonists, partial agonists, and antagonists;
(6) support efforts to reduce the abuse or misuse of
addictive prescription medications, including tools used to give
health care providers information needed to protect the public from
the harm caused by improper use of those medications;
(7) support treatment alternatives that provide both
psychosocial support and medication-assisted treatments in areas
with geographical or transportation-related challenges, including
providing access to mobile health services and telemedicine,
particularly in rural areas; or
(8) further any other purpose related to opioid
abatement authorized by appropriation.
SECTION 2. The attorney general is required to implement a
provision of this Act only if the legislature appropriates money
specifically for that purpose. If the legislature does not
appropriate money specifically for that purpose, the attorney
general may, but is not required to, implement a provision of this
Act using other appropriations available for that purpose.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
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