How HB 2756 changes current law

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

This bill establishes a Task Force on Drink Spiking Response and Intervention within the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to address public safety issues related to drink spiking.

• April 12, 1951 (P.L.90, No.21)

  Section 219. Task Force on Drink Spiking Response and Intervention.--(a) The Task Force on Drink Spiking Response and Intervention is established within the board to conduct a review to ascertain any public safety and health inadequacies relating to adding a substance to an individual's drink without the individual's consent, known as drink spiking. (b) (1) The task force shall consist of the following members, who shall be appointed no later than twenty-five days after the effective date of this section: (i) The Chairman of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board or a designee. (ii) The Attorney General or a designee. (iii) The Commissioner of Pennsylvania State Police or a designee. (iv) The Chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency or a designee. (v) The Secretary of Health or a designee. (vi) Two members of the Senate, one appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate and one appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate. (vii) Two members of the House of Representatives, one appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and one appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives. (viii) The Victim Advocate from the Office of Victim Advocate or a designee from that office. (ix) One member from Governor's Advisory Commission on Women. (x) The Director of the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect or a designee. (xi) The Chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education or a designee. (xii) Two medical professionals, one of whom shall be appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate and one of whom shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. (2) The Governor shall select a chairperson for the task force from the members appointed under paragraph (1). (c) (1) The task force shall meet at least four times and may hold additional meetings as determined by the chairperson of the task force. (2) The chairperson of the task force shall schedule a meeting upon written request of at least eight members of the task force. (3) The first meeting of the task force shall be convened within forty-five days of the effective date of this paragraph. (4) The task force shall hold public hearings as necessary to obtain the information required to conduct its review. (5) Action of the task force shall be authorized or ratified by majority vote of the members of the task force. (6) The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and the Joint State Government Commission shall cooperate to provide administrative or other assistance to the task force. (7) The members of the task force shall not receive compensation except for reimbursement for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the service of the task force. (d) The task force shall have the following powers: (1) Formally define drink spiking. (2) Issue recommendations on standardized care following a suspected illicit drink spiking incident, including, but not limited to: (i) emergency care; and (ii) testing for illicit drink spiking at hospital facilities. (3) Recommend improvements relating to the investigation and prosecution of drink spiking. (4) Recommend additional background checks for employes engaged in dispensing alcohol for on-premises consumption. (5) Recommend trauma-based empathy best practices for health care providers. (6) Seek testimony from individuals with expertise on drink spiking awareness. (7) Recommendations for relevant and timely testing samples to test for the presence of a substance used in illicit drink spiking. (8) Recommend intervention techniques at licensed establishments, including: (i) testing strips; (ii) drink covers; and (iii) awareness of drink spiking. (9) Recommend methods to collect and continuously track data on the prevalence of drink spiking. (e) (1) Within one year of the first meeting of the task force, the task force shall prepare a report that shall include, but not be limited to, the recommendations developed under subsection (d). (2) The report under paragraph (1) shall be submitted to the following: (i) The Governor. (ii) The President pro tempore of the Senate. (iii) The Speaker of the House or Representatives. (iv) The chairperson and minority chairperson of the Law and Justice Committee of the Senate. (v) The chairperson and minority chairperson of the Liquor Control Committee of the House of Representatives. (3) The report under this subsection must be adopted at a public meeting of the task force. (4) The report under this subsection shall be a public record under the act of February 14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the Right-to-Know Law. (f) The task force shall expire upon the submission of the report under subsection (e). (g) Upon completion of the task force report, the Bureau of Alcohol Education of the board shall create a training program focused on drink spiking awareness and make the training available to a licensee's managers as well as servers and sellers. (h) The training created under subsection (g) shall be: (1) developed based on the findings of the task force; and (2) required to be completed by managers within sixty days of employment.

  This addition creates a new task force specifically focused on addressing issues related to drink spiking, including establishing recommendations and interventions.