Senate Passes Bill Creating Opiate Stewardship Program

The Senate passed a bill to create an opiate stewardship program on a vote of 60-6 Thursday, May 10. The controversial penny-a-pill provision was removed in favor of a licensing fee for opiate manufacturers and distributors. The fee is based on the units sold and distributed in the state and will be deposited in a special revenue fund in the state treasury for prevention efforts, emergency response, treatment and recovery programs and law enforcement. The bill also establishes an eighteen member Opiate Stewardship Advisory Council that will work to curb opiate abuse and addiction statewide.

Despite passage of the bill, the bill's author, Senator Julie Rosen, R-Vernon Center, remains frustrated by the lack of cooperation from the pharmaceutical industry. "I find it a little offensive when I step outside these walls, and cannot get the pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors engaged in this conversation, why they cannot help us find some kind of treatment program. And they always say they’re doing what they have to...They haven’t been around the table. I can honestly say that."

"This bill has been a labor of love and grief," said Senator Chris Eaton, who lost a child to an opioid overdose and has comforted many families who faced similar tragedies. "I do it for Steve, Mariel, Michaela, Dan, Cassie Jo, Tyrone, Dillon, Pattie and many others. Please vote green." she added.