AB 645

This bill allows county jails to enter into a written agreement to affiliate with

an ambulance service provider or a physician to 1) obtain a supply of naloxone or

another opioid antagonist; and 2) allow jailers or keepers of a jail or persons

designated with custodial authority by a jailer or keeper to receive the training

necessary to safely and properly administer those medications to individuals who are

undergoing or who are believed to be undergoing an opioid-related drug overdose.

Under current law, law enforcement agencies and fire departments may enter such

agreements; this bill grants that authority to county jails.

Current law also grants law enforcement officers and fire fighters immunity

from civil and criminal liability for any outcomes resulting from the administration

of an opioid antagonist to a person the officer or fire fighter reasonably believes is

undergoing an opioid-related drug overdose, if the officer or firefighter is acting

pursuant to an agreement with an ambulance service provider or physician and his

or her training. This bill extends the same immunity to a jailer or keeper of a jail or

person designated with custodial authority by the jailer or keeper.

The bill requires the Department of Health Services, after consulting with the

Department of Corrections, to study the availability of medication-assisted

treatment for opioid use disorder in each prison and county jail, including by

identifying certain pieces of data specified in the bill. DHS, again after consulting

DOC, must then use the results of the study to propose to implement, or identify

county officials to implement, a pilot project to make available all approved

medications for medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder in at least one

prison or county jail. DHS must report its study findings, its proposal, and any

requests for proposed statutory changes or funding necessary to implement the pilot

project to the Joint Committee on Finance.