Amended in Assembly March 18, 2013

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 831

Introduced by Assembly Member Bloom

February 21, 2013

begin delete An act to amend Section 1797.5 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to emergency medical services. end delete begin insert An act to add Section 11758.08 to, and to add and repeal Section 11758.07 of, the Health and Safety Code, relating to drugs, and making an appropriation therefor. end insert

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 831, as amended, Bloom. begin delete Emergency medical services. end delete begin insert Drug overdoses. end insert

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Existing law establishes various programs for the control of illegal drugs in California and requires the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs to place on its Internet Web site specified information on drug overdose trends in California, including county and state death rates, from existing data, in order to ascertain changes in the causes or rates of fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses for the preceding 5 years.

end insert begin insert

This bill, until January 1, 2016, would establish within the California Health and Human Services Agency, a temporary working group, as specified, to develop a plan to reduce the rate of fatal drug overdoses in the state. The bill would require the temporary working group to make recommendations to the Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and the Chair of Assembly Committee on Health on or before January 1, 2015.

end insert begin insert

This bill would establish a grant program within the California Health and Human Services Agency to provide funds for programs related to drug overdose prevention, recognition, and response education, as specified. The bill would appropriate $500,000 from the General Fund for this purpose in the 2014-15 fiscal year.

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Existing law declares the intent of the Legislature to promote the development, accessibility, and provision of emergency medical services, and the policy of this state that people shall be encouraged and trained to assist others at the scene of a medical emergency.

end delete begin delete

This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.

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Vote:  begin delete majority end delete begin insert ²⁄₃ end insert . Appropriation:  begin delete no end delete begin insert yes end insert . Fiscal committee:  begin delete no end delete begin insert yes end insert . State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

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begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 11758.07 is added to the end insert begin insert Health and
Safety Code end insert begin insert , to read: end insert

begin insert

begin insert 11758.07. end insert   

(a) The California Health and Human Services
Agency shall convene a temporary working group within the
agency to develop a plan to reduce the rate of fatal drug overdoses
in the state. Experts and staff from the Office of Emergency
Services, State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, State
Department of Public Health, Office of AIDS, and any other staff
that the Secretary of California Health and Human Services
designates may participate in the temporary working group.
Additionally, staff from the Medical Board of California and
California State Board of Pharmacy may also participate for the
purpose of identifying promising practices to reduce accidental
drug overdose among patients and other at-risk groups.

(b) The secretary may invite other experts to participate in the
temporary working group. Their participation shall be
uncompensated.

(c) The temporary working group shall make recommendations
to the Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and the Chair of
the Assembly Committee on Health on or before January 1, 2015.

(d) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2016,
and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that
is enacted before January 1, 2016, deletes or extends that date.

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begin insert

begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 11758.08 is added to the end insert begin insert Health and Safety
Code end insert begin insert , to read: end insert

begin insert

begin insert 11758.08. end insert   

(a) The California Health and Human Services
Agency shall make grants to local agencies from funds
appropriated pursuant to this section for any of the following
purposes:

(1) Drug overdose prevention, recognition, and response
education projects in jails, prisons, drug treatment centers, syringe
exchange programs, clinics, and other organizations that work
with or have access to drug users, their families, and communities.

(2) Drug overdose prevention, recognition, and response
training for patients and their families when the patient is
prescribed opiate-based medications for which there is a significant
risk of overdose.

(3) Naloxone hydrochloride prescription or distribution projects.

(4) Development and implementation of policies and projects
to encourage people, including drug users, to call the 911
emergency response system when they witness potentially fatal
drug overdoses.

(5) Programs to educate Californians over 65 years of age about
the risks associated with using opiate-based medications, ways to
prevent overdose, or how to respond if they witness an overdose.

(6) The production and distribution of targeted or mass media
materials on drug overdose prevention and response.

(7) Education and training projects on drug overdose response
and treatment for emergency services and law enforcement
personnel, including, but not limited to, volunteer fire and
emergency services.

(8) Parent, family, and survivor education and mutual support
groups.

(b) In order to control budgets and appropriately limit the
number of possible applications, the agency may set guidelines
regarding the prioritization of applications and the types of
organizations or entities that may apply in a given year.

(c) The adoption and one readoption of regulations to implement
this section shall be deemed to be an emergency necessary for the
immediate preservation of public peace, health, and safety, or the
general welfare for purposes of Sections 11346.1 and 11349.6 of
the Government Code, and the agency is hereby exempted from
the requirement that it describe specific facts showing the need
for immediate action and from review by the Office of
Administrative Law.

(d) There is hereby appropriated from the General Fund, in the
2014-15 fiscal year, five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for
the purpose of funding the grants provided in subdivision (a).
Additional funds necessary for the implementation of this section
in the 2014-15 fiscal year and in later fiscal years may be included
in the budget appropriation for the California Health and Human
Services Agency.

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begin delete

SECTION 1.  

Section 1797.5 of the Health and Safety Code is
amended to read:

1797.5.  

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to promote the
development, accessibility, and provision of emergency medical
services to the people of this state.

(b) Further, it is the policy of this state that people shall be
encouraged and trained to assist others at the scene of a medical
emergency. Local governments, agencies, and other organizations
shall be encouraged to offer training in cardiopulmonary
resuscitation and lifesaving first aid techniques so that people may
be adequately trained, prepared, and encouraged to assist others
immediately.

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