HB373 (2019) Detail

Allowing counties to establish drug and alcohol use prevention and treatment programs.


HB 373-FN-LOCAL - AS INTRODUCED

 

 

2019 SESSION

19-0232

04/10

 

HOUSE BILL 373-FN-LOCAL

 

AN ACT allowing counties to establish drug and alcohol use prevention and treatment programs.

 

SPONSORS: Rep. Abramson, Rock. 20; Rep. Spillane, Rock. 2; Rep. Baldasaro, Rock. 5; Rep. Edwards, Rock. 4; Rep. Khan, Rock. 20; Rep. True, Rock. 4

 

COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government

 

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ANALYSIS

 

This bill allows the county convention in each county to establish drug and alcohol use prevention and treatment programs.

 

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

19-0232

04/10

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Nineteen

 

AN ACT allowing counties to establish drug and alcohol use prevention and treatment programs.

 

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 

1  Title.  This act shall be called, "Jessie McCassie's Law," after Jessica McCassie, who died from complications from heroin addiction while waiting for treatment.

2  Statement of Purpose.  The intent of this act is to allow each county to establish and operate independent strategies to reduce the abuse of substances, including illegal narcotics, alcohol, prescription drugs, and other addictive substances.

3  New Subdivision; County Conventions; Drug and Alcohol Use Prevention and Treatment Programs.  Amend RSA 24 by inserting after section 26 the following new subdivision:

Drug and Alcohol Use Prevention and Treatment Programs

24:27  Drug and Alcohol Use Prevention and Treatment Programs.

I.  The county convention of any county shall have the power to raise and appropriate such sums of money as it judges necessary to establish drug and alcohol use prevention and treatment programs for county residents.  The cost may be paid wholly or partly by the county.  The county convention may, after regular public hearings, develop and adopt a written policies for each of the following areas:

(a)  Providing immunity from criminal prosecution for the possession or use of addictive substances in exchange for participation in a treatment and rehabilitation program, using the "ANGEL Program" established by the Gloucester, Massachusetts, police department as a model.

(b)  Fines, instead of criminal prosecution, for possession or use of amounts of illegal narcotics that are not sufficient to cause a fatal overdose for that user.

(c)  Diversion of county funds, including moneys from civil forfeiture, for drug and alcohol use prevention, treatment, and recovery support programs, needle exchange programs, clinics, diamorphine clinics, aftercare programs, mental health counseling, learning and coping skills education, medication management, establishment of drug courts, alternative programs for armed service veterans, and alternatives to incarceration.

(d)  Appropriate provisions for prohibiting municipalities from preventing drug and alcohol treatment clinics from operating in certain parts of the municipality.

II.  The county convention shall adopt the policy required in paragraph I not later than 6 months from the effective date of this section.

III.  The sheriff and county attorney of each county shall report back to their respective delegations at least twice a year on the results of these policies and make recommendations to the county delegation.  The sheriff shall communicate to each municipality in his or her respective county the changes in such policies within 60 days of each policy being updated.

4  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

 

LBAO

19-0232

12/28/18

 

HB 373-FN-LOCAL- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

 

AN ACT allowing counties to establish drug and alcohol use prevention and treatment programs.

 

FISCAL IMPACT:      [    ] State              [ X ] County               [    ] Local              [    ] None

 

 

 

Estimated Increase / (Decrease)

COUNTY:

FY 2020

FY 2021

FY 2022

FY 2023

Revenue

Indeterminable

Indeterminable

Indeterminable

Indeterminable

Expenditures

Indeterminable

Indeterminable

Indeterminable

Indeterminable

 

 

 

 

 

METHODOLOGY:

This bill authorizes counties to establish drug and alcohol use prevention and treatment programs.  The bill states that counties may develop and adopt written policies related to such areas as criminal prosecution, fines, and diversion of funds for drug and alcohol prevention programs.  The bill further states that such policies shall be adopted no later than six months from the effective date of the bill, which is 60 days after passage.  As it is unclear whether the policies adopted by each county will result in an expenditure of public funds, the bill's fiscal impact is indeterminable.

 

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

New Hampshire Association of Counties

 

Links


Date Body Type
Feb. 6, 2019 House Hearing
Feb. 26, 2019 House Exec Session
House Floor Vote
March 14, 2019 House Floor Vote

Bill Text Revisions

HB373 Revision: 4607 Date: Jan. 7, 2019, 2:50 p.m.

Docket


March 14, 2019: Inexpedient to Legislate: MA DV 270-65 03/14/2019 HJ 9 P. 24


: Minority Committee Report: Ought to Pass


: Majority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate (Vote 15-4; RC)


March 14, 2019: Majority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate for 03/14/2019 (Vote 15-4; RC) HC 15 P. 8


Feb. 26, 2019: ==TIME CHANGE== Executive Session: 02/26/2019 01:00 pm LOB 301


Feb. 6, 2019: Public Hearing: 02/06/2019 11:00 am LOB 301


Jan. 3, 2019: Introduced 01/03/2019 and referred to Municipal and County Government HJ 3 P. 12