Any good lobbyist will tell you your proposal is doomed to fail, regardless of what your issue is. It’s simple math. Approximately 10,000 bills are introduced in to a typical two-year term of the NJ Legislature, with a few hundred making it through the legislative process and signed by the governor. King Minos in ancient Crete ordered the building of a labyrinth to keep the Minotaur (or anyone else who entered) from ever exiting unscathed at the other end. One sees the regal hand of Minos in the design of the legislative abattoir/maze that must be traveled in order to experience the realization of a recommended public policy.
This is what impresses when reviewing the many measures that have, either moved a considerable way through the legislative process, or been enacted, just in the past few months dealing with behavioral health and recovery. Prior to the Legislature’s summer recess, a number of these bills either got closer to the finish line, or actually made it across. These included:
·
S.2953/A.4785 – Provides reentry services for
prisoners being released from county jails, and removes the eligibility ban on
General Assistance benefits for individuals with drug distribution convictions
– On the Governor’s desk
·
S.3801/A.5597 – Authorizes school districts to
conduct student health surveys – Enacted
·
A.5703/S.3800 – Mandates health insurance
coverage for naloxone without prior authorization requirements – Enacted
·
A.5457/S.3491 – Permits anyone to administer or
distribute naloxone – Enacted
·
S.3802/A.5595 – Naloxone placed on the Division
of Consumer Affair’s retail price list – Enacted
·
S.3867/A.5868 – Dedicates pharmaceutical
litigation settlement monies toward drug prevention and treatment programs – On
the Governor’s desk
·
A.970/S.2259 – Establishes a Mental Health
Screening in Schools Grant Program – Enacted
·
S.2559/A.4200/A.4179 – Mandates insurance
reimbursement rates for telemedicine be on a par with those for in-person
visits – On the Governor’s desk
·
A.4221 – Requires the Office of Information
Technology to establish a centralized, one-stop website resource guide to assist
persons in navigating the state’s mental health and substance use disorder
service systems – In Appropriations Committee
·
A.5507/S.3319 - Eliminates certain monetary
penalties for juveniles in the criminal justice system, including: the Drug
Enforcement on Demand (DEDR) fee, and the costs of an approved remedial
education or counseling program to which the juvenile is diverted – Passed the
Senate, in Assembly Appropriations Committee
·
S.52/A.798 – Establishes Drug Fatality Review
Boards in each county – Passed the Assembly, on the Senate Floor, then back to
the Assembly Floor for concurrence
·
A.1919/S.250 – Prohibits landlords from
discriminating against tenant applicants with a criminal history – Enacted
·
A.5641/S.3658 – Eliminates mandatory minimum
sentence for a non-violent offense – Conditionally vetoed
·
A.2649/S.892 – Mandates training in behavioral
health issues for nursing home staff – On Assembly Floor, in Senate Health
Committee
·
A.5754 – Requires the Department of Corrections
to issue an annual report to the Legislature on a number of items, including
the number of prisoners with behavioral health disorders – Passed the Assembly,
in Senate Law and Public Safety Committee
·
S.3493/A.5458 – Legalizes possession and
distribution of syringes – Passed the Senate, in Assembly Judiciary Committee
·
S.3400/A.5052 – Authorizes EMTs to dispense
naloxone – On Assembly Floor, in Senate Health Committee
·
A.275/S.1112 – Reduces court-ordered fines for
anyone successfully completing a drug treatment or diversion program – Passed
the Assembly, in Senate Judiciary Committee
·
S.3009/A.4847 – Expands the number of needle
exchange programs in the state – In Senate Budget Committee, in Assembly Health
Committee
·
A.4901/S.3065 – Permits syringes to be mailed – In
Assembly Health Committee, on Senate Floor
·
A.5565 – Establishes a Behavioral Health Crisis
Mobile Response project – In Appropriations Committee
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