BILL NUMBER: S3448A

SPONSOR: HINCHEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to opioid overdose
prevention in college housing

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This bill requires public college campuses to carry life-saving opioid
antagonist medications in college-owned or college-operated housing, and
requires that such medications are accessible to a trained resident
assistant or other employee during emergencies that require the adminis-
tration of opioid antagonists.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends the education law by adding a new section 6438-a. The
new section requires a supply of on-site opioid antagonists in public
college-owned or college-operated housing, and requires that such medi-
cations be accessible to a trained resident assistant for administration
              

of opioid antagonists. It also provides that public college campus offi-
cial may designate additional employees to administer opioid antagonists
in the event that a resident associate is not physically present. The
new section also contains a good faith immunity provision.

Section 2 provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The current opioid epidemic is the deadliest drug crisis in American
history. Opioid overdoses have surpasses gun-related murders and car
accidents as the leading cause of death for Americans under 50 years
old, killing as estimated 64,000 people last year. New York State is no
exception to this crisis. In the City of New York alone, over 1,300
fatally overdosed in 2016-a 46% increase from. 2015.

Additionally, overdose rates have. risen among all demographic groups
and among residents of almost every New York City neighborhood. We must
act now to stymie the rise of deadly overdoses.

Fatal opioid overdose deaths are preventable. Opioid antagonists, such
as naloxone or any other similarly acting drug approved by the United
States Food and Drug Administration, have proven to be effective in the
treatment of an opioid overdose. Specifically, naloxone counter-acts
life-threatening opioid overdoses by reversing the depression of the
central nervous system and respiratory system; thus, allowing an over-
dose victim to breathe normally. Naloxone is a nonscheduled (non-addic-
tive) medication that has no effect if opioids are absent.  This ensures
that administration of naloxone has no potential for abuse and is safe
for administration by a trained school nurse or employee.

As the opioid crisis seeps into our college campuses, we must at now to
protect students. Nationwide, there has been a sharp uptick of college
students struggling with drug and opioid addiction. While school offi-
cials do not keep comprehensive data on incidences of overdose, main-
taining on-site opioid antagonists in schools and requiring at least one
trained resident assistant or employee with the knowledge of administer-
ing these life-saving medications are common sense solutions to poten-
tially preventing more fatalities.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

A.6407 (2019-20)

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.