BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                            Senator Carole Migden, Chair

                                           631 (Leno)
          
          Hearing Date:  6/27/05          Amended: 5/26/05
          Consultant: John Decker         Policy Vote: Health 10-5
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          BILL SUMMARY:   The bill requires the Department of Alcohol and  
          Drug Programs to provide for mobile narcotic treatment programs 

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                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions               2005-06     2006-07    2007-08    Fund
            Drug Medi-Cal                      $100             $200        
                                        $200         GF & FF                
                                                
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                      
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          STAFF COMMENTS:  This bill is eligible for referral to the  
          committee's Suspense File.

          The department licenses and regulates adult alcohol and drug  
          treatment facilities. 

          The bill requires that a mobile treatment program hold--or be  
          affiliated with a holder of--a primary narcotic treatment  
          program license.

          Before granting a license for the mobile treatment, the  
          department must consider the needs and concerns of the area  
          served by the program. 










          
          The bill provides no limitation or scope for the program  
          envisioned for the treatment facilities.  If the mobile  
          facilities were to add less than 45 patients for a year, the  
          program would increase Drug Medi-Cal costs by over $200,000  
          annually, with the costs evenly distributed between the state  
          General Fund and federal funds.  To the extent that the  
          treatment provided by the mobile facilities reduced treatment in  
          other state programs, the identified costs could be offset by  
          savings in other programs.

          Staff note that the bill requires the department to "operate"  
          the specified narcotics program.  In making the fiscal estimate,  
          we assume that the author intends for the department to license  
          and regulate providers, rather than directly administer  
          treatment.  If, however, the department used the authority in  
          this bill to run treatment facilities, the bill's costs could be  
          significantly higher.