BILL NUMBER: AB 831 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 18, 2013
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Bloom
FEBRUARY 21, 2013
An act to amend Section 1797.5 of the Health and Safety
Code, relating to emergency medical services. 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.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 831, as amended, Bloom. Emergency medical services.
Drug overdoses.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these
provisions.
Vote: majority 2/3 . Appropriation:
no yes . Fiscal committee: no
yes . State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 11758.07 is added to the
Health and Safety Code , to read:
11758.07. (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.
SEC. 2. Section 11758.08 is added to the
Health and Safety Code , to read:
11758.08. (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.
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.