BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                   AB 631|
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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 631
          Author:   Leno (D)
          Amended:  8/28/06 in Senate
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE HEALTH COMMITTEE  :  10-0, 6/15/05
          AYES:  Ortiz, Runner, Aanestad, Alquist, Chesbro, Cox,  
            Figueroa, Kuehl, Maldonado, Vincent
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Romero

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  9-1, 08/23/06
          AYES:  Murray, Aanestad, Alarcon, Alquist, Battin, Dutton,  
            Florez, Romero, Torlakson
          NOES:  Ashburn
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Escutia, Ortiz, Poochigian

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  72-7, 5/31/05 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Narcotic treatment programs:  mobile service  
          units

           SOURCE  :     City and County of San Francisco


           DIGEST :    This bill requires the California Department of  
          Alcohol and Drug Programs to create a licensing category  
          for mobile narcotic treatment programs.

           ANALYSIS  :    

          Existing law:
                                                           CONTINUED





                                                                AB 631
                                                                Page  
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          1.Establishes California Department of Alcohol and Drug  
            Programs (DADP) and grants them sole authority in state  
            government to license adult alcoholism or drug abuse  
            recovery or treatment facilities.

          2.Authorizes that the controlled substances methadone and  
            levoalphacetylmethadol (LAAM) are authorized for use in  
            replacement narcotic therapy by licensed narcotic  
            treatment programs.

          3.Prohibits a licensee from operating an alcoholism or drug  
            abuse recovery or treatment facility beyond the  
            conditions and limitations specified on the license.

          4.Authorizes the director to grant exceptions to the  
            licensing regulations for pilot and demonstration  
            projects.

          5.Establishes the drug Medi-Cal program administered by  
            DADP to provide defined modes of treatment for low-income  
            persons with a drug or alcohol abuse problem.

          This bill:  

          1.Requires DADP to establish a program for the operation  
            and regulation of mobile narcotic treatment programs  
            (MNTP).  

          2.Requires a MNTP to meet one of the following conditions:   


             A.   Hold a primary narcotic treatment program license.

             B.   Be affiliated and associated with a primary  
               licensed narcotic treatment program.  In this case,  
               the MNTP will not be required to have a license  
               separate from its affiliated primary licensed narcotic  
               treatment program.  

          3.Provides additional criteria that DADP shall use in  
            approving a MNTP that is affiliated with a licensed  
            narcotic treatment program, including eligible patients,  
            capacity limitation, use of federal Food and Drug  







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          3

            Administration approved treatment and security protocols  
            to prevent diversion of medication.

          4.Requires DADP, in considering a MNTP application, to  
            independently weigh the treatment needs and concerns of  
            the county, city, or areas to be served by the program.  

          5.Specifies that nothing in this bill is intended to expand  
            the scope of the practice of pharmacy.  

          6.Requires the MNTPs to be located at predetermined sites  
            approved by DADP.

          7.Sunsets on January 1, 2010.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  No

           SUPPORT :   (unable to verify)

          City and County of San Francisco (source) 
          California Medical Association
          California Opioid Maintenance Providers
          Drug Policy Alliance Network

           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT  :    The source, the City and County of  
          San Francisco points out that at $13 per day, methadone  
          treatment is a cost-effective alternative to incarceration  
          or hospitalization.  Some studies indicate that savings  
          accrue at a rate of $7 in the future to every $1 spent on  
          addiction treatment in the present. 

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :
          AYES:  Aghazarian, Baca, Bass, Benoit, Berg, Bermudez,  
            Bogh, Calderon, Canciamilla, Chan, Chavez, Chu, Cogdill,  
            Cohn, Coto, Daucher, De La Torre, DeVore, Dymally,  
            Emmerson, Evans, Frommer, Garcia, Goldberg, Hancock,  
            Harman, Jerome Horton, Shirley Horton, Houston, Huff,  
            Jones, Karnette, Keene, Klehs, Koretz, La Malfa, Laird,  
            Leno, Leslie, Levine, Lieber, Liu, Matthews, McCarthy,  
            Montanez, Mullin, Nakanishi, Nation, Nava, Negrete  
            McLeod, Niello, Oropeza, Parra, Pavley, Plescia, Richman,  
            Ridley-Thomas, Sharon Runner, Ruskin, Saldana, Salinas,  
            Strickland, Torrico, Tran, Umberg, Vargas, Villines,  







                                                                AB 631
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          4

            Walters, Wolk, Wyland, Yee, Nunez
          NOES:  Arambula, Blakeslee, Haynes, La Suer, Maze,  
            Mountjoy, Spitzer
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Gordon


          CTW:nl  8/29/06   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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