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State Assembly Passes New Opioid Legislation

9 Bills Included Measures To Fund Treatment Programs, Charter School

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Wisconsin State Capitol
JeromeG111 (CC-BY-NC-ND)

The state Legislature on Tuesday passed another package of bills aimed at fighting Wisconsin’s opioid epidemic, including measures to create a state-funded charter school for recovering addicts and continue funding treatment programs.

The Assembly passed nine opioid-related bills as part of a special session called by Gov. Scott Walker to address the epidemic.

“This a problem that knows no socioecomic bounds, it knows no regional bounds, and it’s one that hopefully today we’re going to work really hard to address,” said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, at the beginning of debate.

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The bills were sponsored by Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, who has spearheaded the Legislature’s HOPE Agenda, a series of opioid-related bills passed since 2013.

“There is no denying the fact that more people are dying today than there were when we began this battle four years ago,” Nygren said. “So the battle lives on.”

Nygren said a state-run school for students recovering from addiction would help support continued recovery.

“When a person goes through treatment, often times a younger person will go right back to the same environment they came from – they’re going back to the school they came from, so same friends, same pressures that they had before,” he said.

The proposal would authorize the University of Wisconsin System to begin the process of opening the school.

Democrats pushed back on the measure, saying it didn’t provide adequate funding.

“You can’t just pass a bill and not fund it,” said Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison.

Another part of the package continues funding for treatment and diversion programs, which provide addiction treatment and alternatives to jail time for drug crimes.

“This is continuing our investment in what makes sense, not only for that person, but also from a taxpayer standpoint,” Nygren said. “These programs cost a fraction of what incarceration does.”

During floor debate, Democrats offered several amendments to expand funding and make other changes to the measures. None of those amendments were adopted.

“We still can have a much greater impact than we’re having,” said Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha.

Another approved measure would expand graduate medical training in an addiction specialty, allowing the state Department of Health Services to award grants to increase the number of physicians trained in an addiction specialty.

Some treatment providers applauded the bill’s investments in physician training and treatment programs.

“We have only a few specialized physicians that can help with the medically assisted treatment programs,” said Cheryl Hancock from Coulee Council on Addiction in La Crosse.

But Hancock said creating treatment programs isn’t enough if individuals with addiction problems can’t afford to use them.

“We know that beds are available in some of the inpatient treatment programs but there’s not funding available for the folks who need it and so that’s a huge barrier,” Hancock said.

Hancock said she’d like to see less money go to drug investigations and incarcerations, and instead be used to fund inpatient recovery services.

Other measures approved by the Assembly on Tuesday would:

  • Exempt a school bus driver, school employee, or volunteer from civil liability from administering an opioid overdose drug.
  • Require a prescription for certain schedule V controlled substances.
  • Require the Department of Health Services to create and administer an addiction medicine consultation program to help doctors provide specialized care to patients with substance addiction.
  • Fund four new criminal investigation agent positions at the Department of Justice to focus on drug interdiction and drug trafficking.
  • Require the state Department of Public Instruction to establish a mental health training support program for public and charter school staff on screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment.

The bills now move to the state Senate for approval.

Editor’s Note: WPR’s Hope Kirwan contributed to this report.