Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

S.B. 212 First Substitute (2024GS)

Sponsor

Sen. Plumb, J.

Final action

Governor Signed 3/14/2024

Outcome

Became law — signed by Gov. Spencer J. Cox

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• defines terms;
• allows the Department of Corrections, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services, to cooperate with medical personnel to continue a medication assisted treatment plan for inmates who had an active medication assisted treatment plan prior to incarceration;
• provides that a correctional facility may, at the direction of the chief administrative officer, store medications used for medication assisted treatment plans; and
• makes technical and conforming changes.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT IN CORRECTIONAL
FACILITIES
GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Jen Plumb
House Sponsor: 
____________
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill allows the Department of Corrections to cooperate with medical personnel to
provide medication assisted treatment to inmates who had an active medication assisted
treatment plan prior to incarceration.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
▸ defines terms;
▸ allows the Department of Corrections, in collaboration with the Department of
Health and Human Services, to cooperate with medical personnel to continue a
medication assisted treatment plan for inmates who had an active medication
assisted treatment plan prior to incarceration;
▸ provides that a correctional facility may, at the direction of the chief administrative
officer, store medications used for medication assisted treatment plans; and
▸ makes technical and conforming changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
26B-4-325
, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 322
ENACTS:
64-13-25.1
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section 
26B-4-325
 is amended to read:
26B-4-325.
Medical care for inmates -- Reporting of statistics.
As used in this section:
(1) "Correctional facility" means a facility operated to house inmates in a secure or
nonsecure setting:
(a) by the Department of Corrections; or
(b) under a contract with the Department of Corrections.
(2) "Health care facility" means the same as that term is defined in Section 
26B-2-201
.
(3) "Inmate" means an individual who is:
(a) committed to the custody of the Department of Corrections; and
(b) housed at a correctional facility or at a county jail at the request of the Department
of Corrections.
(4) "Medical monitoring technology" means a device, application, or other technology
that can be used to improve health outcomes and the experience of care for patients, including
evidence-based clinically evaluated software and devices that can be used to monitor and treat
diseases and disorders.
(5) "Terminally ill" means the same as that term is defined in Section 
31A-36-102
.
(6) The department shall:
(a) for each health care facility owned or operated by the Department of Corrections,
assist the Department of Corrections in complying with Section 
64-13-39
;
(b) create policies and procedures for providing services to inmates; [
and
]
(c) in coordination with the Department of Corrections, develop standard population
indicators and performance measures relating to the health of inmates[
.
]
; and
(d) collaborate with the Department of Corrections to comply with Section 
64-13-25.1
.
(7) Beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2024, the department shall:
(a) evaluate and study the use of medical monitoring technology and create a plan for a
pilot program that identifies:
(i) the types of medical monitoring technology that will be used during the pilot
program; and
(ii) eligibility for participation in the pilot program; and
(b) make the indicators and performance measures described in Subsection (6)(c)
available to the public through the Department of Corrections and the department websites.
(8) Beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2029, the department shall implement
the pilot program.
(9) The department shall submit to the Health and Human Services Interim Committee
and the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee:
(a) a report on or before October 1 of each year regarding the costs and benefits of the
pilot program;
(b) a report that summarizes the indicators and performance measures described in
Subsection (6)(c) on or before October 1, 2024; and
(c) an updated report before October 1 of each year that compares the indicators and
population measures of the most recent year to the initial report described in Subsection (9)(b).
Section 2. Section 
64-13-25.1
 is enacted to read:
 64-13-25.1.
Medication assisted treatment plan.
(1) As used in this section, "medication assisted treatment plan" means a prescription
plan to use a medication, such as buprenorphine, methadone, or naltrexone, to treat substance
use withdrawal symptoms or an opioid use disorder.
(2) In collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services the department
may cooperate with medical personnel to continue a medication assisted treatment plan for an
inmate who had an active medication assisted treatment plan within the last six months before
being committed to the custody of the department.
(3) A medication used for a medication assisted treatment plan under Subsection (2):
(a) shall be an oral, short-acting medication unless the chief administrative officer or
other medical personnel who is familiar with the inmate's medication assisted treatment plan
determines that a long-acting, non-oral medication will provide a greater benefit to the
individual receiving treatment;
(b) may be administered to an inmate under the direction of the chief administrative
officer of the correctional facility; and
(c) may be left or stored at a correctional facility at the discretion of the chief
administrative officer of the correctional facility.
Section 3. 
Effective date.
This bill takes effect on May 1, 2024.