WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS

 

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