HB 561 — An Act amending Title 61 (Prisons and Parole) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in Nonnarcotic Medication Assisted Substance Abuse Treatment Grant Pilot Program, further providing for definitions, repealing provisions relating to establishment of pilot program, providing for establishment and further providing for county participation requirements, for use of grant funding, for powers and duties of department, for report to General Assembly and for construction; imposing duties on the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency; and making an editorial change.

PRIOR PRINTER'S NO.NOS.

565565, 1297 PRINTER'S NO.

12971704 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE BILL Session of No.

DAVIS, DALEY, KAZEEM, KOSIEROWSKI, KRAJEWSKI, K.HARRIS, RIVERA, FREEMAN, MAYES, CURRY, PROBST, J.HARRIS,J. D.

WILLIAMS,HARRIS, BOROWSKID. AND YOUNG, FEBRUARY 12, 2025 AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, APRIL 8, 2025 AN ACT Amending Title 61 (Prisons and Parole) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in Nonnarcotic Medication Assisted Substance Abuse Treatment Grant Pilot Program, further establishment of pilot program, providing for establishment and further providing for county participation requirements, for use of grant funding, for powers and duties of department, for prior authorization, for report to General Assembly and for construction;

WILLIAMS, BOROWSKI, YOUNG AND WEBSTER, FEBRUARY 12, 2025 AS AMENDED ON SECOND CONSIDERATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, MAY 13, 2025 AN ACT Amending Title 61 (Prisons and Parole) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in Nonnarcotic Medication Assisted Substance Abuse Treatment Grant Pilot Program, further establishment of pilot program, providing for establishment and further providing for county participation requirements, for use of grant funding, for powers and duties of department, for prior authorization, for report to General <-- Assembly and for construction;

20250HB0561PN129720250HB0561PN1704 - 2 - § 4602.1.

The Medication-assisted Substance Abuse Treatment Grant Program is established in the commission to increase opportunities for counties to provide medication-assisted treatment combined with comprehensive substance use DISORDERdisorder <-- treatment to eligible offenders while incarcerated and upon release from county correctional institutions.

Sections 4603, 4604, 4605, 4606, 4607 and 4608 of <-- Title 61 are amended to read:

(1) Assess each offender, prior to reentry into the community, and determine if the offender is a candidate to 20250HB0561PN129720250HB0561PN1704 - 3 - whom should be administered medication that prevents relapse to drug dependence or alcohol dependence, or both.

(3) Develop or approve training and instructional materials for the law enforcement community about opioid and 20250HB0561PN129720250HB0561PN1704 - 4 - alcohol addiction and the proper and effective use of [nonnarcotic medication assisted substance abuse treatment] medication-assisted treatment in consultation with the appropriate State agencies, including, but not limited to, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Health[, the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency] and the board.

(5) Set forth the basis for medical providers to be reimbursed and for [medical] substance use DISORDERdisorder treatment <-- providers to be reimbursed for counseling services.

(b) Limitation on grant awards.--Grant awards shall be at <-- (B) LIMITATION ON GRANT AWARDS.--[GRANT] <-- (1) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH (2), GRANT AWARDS SHALL BE AT the discretion of the [department] commission and shall be limited to amounts annually appropriated to the [department] commission for the [pilot] program.

(2) NOTWITHSTANDING PARAGRAPH (1):

<-- (I) IN AWARDING GRANTS UNDER THE PROGRAM, THE COMMISSION SHALL PRIORITIZE APPLICATIONS REQUESTING FUNDS FOR NONNARCOTIC MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT.

(II) THE COMMISSION SHALL MAKE ALL REASONABLE EFFORTS TO COMMIT THE FULL AMOUNTS ANNUALLY APPROPRIATED FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE PROGRAM BY THE END OF THE FISCAL 20250HB0561PN1704 - 5 - YEAR FOR WHICH THE AMOUNTS WERE APPROPRIATED.

(III) GRANT MONEY ALLOCATED THROUGH THE PROGRAM SHALL BE USED TO SUPPLEMENT AND NOT SUPPLANT EXISTING FUNDING.

NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL BE CONSTRUED TO PROHIBIT A COUNTY FROM MAKING AN APPLICATION TO RECEIVE A GRANT AWARD UNDER THE PROGRAM IN A SUBSEQUENT YEAR FOR THE SAME PURPOSE AND AMOUNT IN THE PRIOR YEAR.

Prior[Prior authorization.authorization] Medication-assisted treatment <-- approval.

<-- [Long-acting injectable naltrexone]naltrexone Theshall followingbe apply:approved as part of a prior authorization process by any] A Medicaid managed care plan operating under contract with the Commonwealth for eligible offenders enrolled in the [pilot] program and receiving comprehensive substance [abuse] use disorder treatment which includes the monitoring of medication adherence upon [their] release from county correctional institutions shall approve medication-assisted treatment for forms of substance use disorders, from the Department of Human Services' Uniform Statewide preferred drug list, that do not require prior authorization.

(1)[Within Medication-assisted90 treatmentdays shallof bethe approvedeffective asdate part of athis priorsection, authorizationthe processDepartment byof anyHuman MedicaidServices managedshall careissue plana operatingbulletin undernotice contractto withinstruct theMedicaid Commonwealthmanaged forcare eligibleplans offendersthat enrolledapproval infor the [pilot]use programof andlong-acting receivinginjectable comprehensivenaltrexone substancemust [abuse]be disordergranted treatmentif whichthe includeseligible theoffenders monitoringare ofenrolled medicationin adherencethe pilot program upon [their]their release from county correctional institutions.institutions.] § 4607.

20250HB0561PN1297 - 5 - (2) Within 90 days of the effective date of this [section] paragraph, the Department of Human Services shall issue a bulletin notice to instruct Medicaid managed care plans that approval for the use of [long-acting injectable naltrexone] medication-assisted treatment must be granted if the eligible offenders are enrolled in the [pilot] program upon [their] release from county correctional institutions.

§ 4606.

[PRIOR AUTHORIZATION] MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT <-- APPROVAL.

[LONG-ACTING INJECTABLE NALTREXONE SHALL BE APPROVED AS PART OF A PRIOR AUTHORIZATION PROCESS BY ANY] A MEDICAID MANAGED CARE PLAN OPERATING UNDER CONTRACT WITH THE COMMONWEALTH FOR ELIGIBLE OFFENDERS ENROLLED IN THE [PILOT] PROGRAM AND RECEIVING COMPREHENSIVE SUBSTANCE [ABUSE] USE DISORDER TREATMENT WHICH INCLUDES THE MONITORING OF MEDICATION ADHERENCE UPON [THEIR] RELEASE FROM COUNTY CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS SHALL APPROVE MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT FOR FORMS OF SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS, FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES' UNIFORM STATEWIDE PREFERRED DRUG LIST, THAT DO NOT REQUIRE PRIOR AUTHORIZATION.

[WITHIN 90 DAYS OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION, THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES SHALL ISSUE A BULLETIN NOTICE TO INSTRUCT MEDICAID MANAGED CARE PLANS THAT APPROVAL FOR THE USE OF LONG-ACTING INJECTABLE NALTREXONE MUST BE GRANTED IF THE ELIGIBLE OFFENDERS ARE ENROLLED IN THE PILOT PROGRAM UPON THEIR RELEASE FROM COUNTY CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS.] § 4607.

[Within 18 months of the effective date of this section, the department] (a) Issuance.--Beginning two years after the effective date of this subsection, the commission shall issue a biennial report to the Judiciary Committee of the Senate and the 20250HB0561PN129720250HB0561PN1704 - 6 - Appropriations Committee of the Senate and the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives and the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives evaluating the effectiveness of the [pilot] program.

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