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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Two Illinois lawmakers announced bipartisan legislation Monday that would spend $25 million to combat an epidemic of heroin and prescription drug abuse, although some other politicians doubted that the measure would be approved when the state faces billions of dollars in red ink.
House Democratic Assistant Majority Leader Lou Lang and GOP State Rep. John Anthony said the cost of the legislation is far cheaper than idly watching the problem continue to grow around the state.
"The state has a $30 billion-plus budget. We'll have to find the money someplace," Lang said.
The proposal may run into the reality of Illinois' Republican Governor Bruce Rauner's austere budget that makes severe budget cuts and pledges no tax increases.
"Heroin is a huge problem but the budget is very tight this year also," said Rep. Patti Bellock, House Republicans' point person on the Medicaid health program for the poor. "I would try to look at cost effective ways of doing things."
The 242-page bill is a byproduct of a legislative task force that traveled around the state over recent months to hear testimony from doctors, coroners, pharmacists, treatment centers, addicts and family members on heroin use and its correlation to prescription drug abuse.
The legislation would require drugs combatting heroin overdoses, such as Narcan, to be dispensed more widely to those who have been trained to properly administer them.
Some police units now carry the antidotes, but the legislation would require all state and local government agencies that employ law enforcement officers and firefighters to possess them. School officials and family members of addicts could also administer the drugs, if they received proper training.
The legislation would require that the state Board of Education develop a heroin and opiate drug prevention program for schools and that coroners report deaths due to drug overdoses to the Department of Public health.
It would also designate pharmacies as sites to take back unused prescription medication and require doctors to determine "possible addiction tendencies" before prescribing painkillers.
Other legislation proposed in recent weeks would take a more piecemeal approach to the heroin problem — including a bill by GOP state Sen. Michael Connelly that would allow overdose antidotes in schools.
But Lang said he preferred to take a wider approach, even though it might make the bill more difficult to pass.
Lang acknowledged that portions of the legislation —including limiting painkiller prescriptions and requiring pharmacies to serve as prescription "take back" sites — could be opposed by the powerful pharmaceutical and hospital lobby in Springfield, because of increased regulation.
Deaths specifically caused by heroin aren't tracked statewide. But heroin-related emergency room visits in the Chicago area are the highest in the country according to Roosevelt University's Consortium on Drug Policy, which cited 24,360 visits in 2010, the most recent year of available data.
The problem has only intensified in recent years. Federal data shows there's been an 80 percent increase in heroin use among Americans between 2007 and 2012.
While state lawmakers have proposed bills in recent years to track overdoses and raise awareness, Daphne Baille from Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities, said this was the first attempt to link prescription drug abuse and heroin.
"There are many people who go from using prescription drugs to finding cheaper, more available heroin," Baille said.
The legislation comes on the heels of an austere budget proposal by GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner, which would reduce Medicaid funding by $1.5 billion and mental health and substance abuse programs by $27 million.
Anthony, a former police officer, said he hoped the governor might consider their legislative proposal part of criminal justice reforms, which includes reducing the prison population.
Rauner's office issued a statement saying the governor would carefully consider any legislation passed by the Legislature.
While Illinois State Medical Society President William McDade said the group was still reviewing the legislation, he pointed to a recent paper released by the group stating support for expanding access to antidotes but urging caution in limiting the number of pills a physician can prescribe.
"In short, there's going to be a lot of pushback," Lang said.
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Online: www.ilga.gov
The bill is HB1.
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