0204-hb 1606

CHAPTER 204

HB 1606-FN - FINAL VERSION

AN ACT establishing the governor's commission on alcohol and drug abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment.

SPONSORS: Rep. Leber, Merr 1; Rep. Cox, Rock 24; Rep. Taylor, Straf 11; Rep. Keye, Hills 30; Sen. Gordon, Dist 2; Sen. Wheeler, Dist 21; Sen. J. King, Dist 18; Sen. Brown, Dist 17

This bill establishes the governor's commission on alcohol and drug abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment. The commission shall advise the governor regarding the delivery of alcohol and drug abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment services.

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

AN ACT establishing the governor's commission on alcohol and drug abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

204:1 Purpose. The general court, communities, state agencies, law enforcement organizations and substance abuse professionals recognize that the abuse of alcohol and other drugs endangers public health and public safety. Alcohol and drug abuse affects many individuals and families in New Hampshire and is a contributing factor in numerous social ills including crimes against persons and property, the spread of communicable diseases and other health problems, poor educational performance, reduced job productivity, domestic violence, and the victimization of children through abuse, neglect, and poverty. If the state of New Hampshire is to be successful in addressing these problems we must bring our collective resources to bear in a comprehensive, coordinated, and outcomes-based fashion.

204:2 New Chapter; Governor's Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment. Amend RSA by inserting after chapter 12-I the following new chapter:

GOVERNOR'S COMMISSION ON ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION, INTERVENTION, AND TREATMENT

12-J:1 Commission Established; Membership; Terms. There is hereby established a commission which shall serve in an advisory capacity to the governor regarding the delivery of effective and coordinated alcohol and drug abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment services throughout the state. The commission shall consist of the following members:

I. Six public members, appointed by the governor and council, 2 of whom shall be professionals knowledgeable about alcohol and drug abuse prevention; 2 of whom shall be professionals knowledgeable about alcohol and drug abuse treatment, and 2 of whom shall be public members who are not professionals within the alcohol and drug addiction prevention and treatment system. The members appointed pursuant to this paragraph shall serve 3-year terms; provided that initially 2 members shall serve for one year, 2 members shall serve for 2 years, and 2 members shall serve for 3 years.

II. Two members of the house, appointed by the speaker of the house, and 2 members of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate. The term of the legislative members of the commission shall be for the biennium and shall be coterminous with membership in the general court. Legislative members shall receive mileage at the legislative rate when attending to the duties of the commission.

(10) The director of the appropriate division responsible for alcohol and drug abuse prevention and recovery, department of health and human services.

(b) The members under this paragraph shall serve terms coterminous with their terms in office.

I. The governor and council shall designate a member of the commission to serve as chairperson. The executive director of the commission shall be the director of the appropriate division responsible for alcohol and drug abuse prevention and recovery, who shall serve without additional compensation.

II.(a) To assist the commission in the performance of its duties, the chairperson shall create task forces. The chairperson shall initially create task forces to address the following issues:

(b) The commission chairperson shall appoint at least 2 commission members to serve on each task force and shall designate a chairperson for each task force.

(c) Based upon recommendations from each task force, the commission chairperson may appoint as many as 8 individuals to serve as adjunct members of each task force for a term of one year.

(2) Report to the commission on a regular basis concerning available programs, funding, and unmet needs.

III. All executive branch departments shall provide administrative support to the commission. The executive director of the commission shall direct and coordinate the administrative support to the commission.

I. Develop and revise, as necessary, a statewide plan for the effective prevention of alcohol and drug abuse, particularly among youth, and a comprehensive system of intervention and treatment for individuals and families affected by alcohol and drug abuse. The statewide plan shall:

(a) Identify the causes, nature and scope, and the impact of alcohol and drug abuse in New Hampshire.

(b) Identify and prioritize unmet needs for prevention, intervention, and treatment.

(d) Identify and quantify public and private resources available to support alcohol and drug abuse prevention, intervention and treatment.

(e) Specify additional resources necessary to address unmet needs for prevention, intervention, and treatment.

II. Promote collaboration between and among state agencies and communities to foster the development of effective community-based alcohol and drug abuse prevention programs.

III. Promote the development of treatment services to meet the needs of citizens addicted to alcohol or other drugs.

IV. Identify unmet needs and the resources required to reduce the incidence of alcohol and drug abuse in New Hampshire and to make recommendations to the governor regarding legislation and funding to address such needs.

12-J:4 Meetings and Reports. The commission shall meet at least 4 times each year and may convene public hearings as necessary to promote the goals of the commission. The commission shall submit an annual report to the governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and president of the senate by November 1 of each year regarding the activities of the commission. The first annual report shall be due November 1, 2001. The annual report shall identify and prioritize unmet needs for prevention, intervention and treatment; indicate the progress, or lack thereof in addressing the unmet needs; recommend initiatives to address the unmet needs; and specify the resources and any legislation necessary to support existing programs for prevention, intervention, and treatment and to develop, implement, support, and evaluate the initiatives recommended by the commission.

I. The commission shall complete the statewide plan required under RSA 12-J:3 as set forth in section 2 of this act on or before January 1, 2001.

II. The first meeting of the commission shall be held within 45 days of the effective date of this bill.

204:4 Repeal. RSA 172:2-b, relative to an advisory commission on alcohol and drug abuse, is repealed.

AN ACT establishing the governor's commission on alcohol and drug abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment.

The Department of Health and Human Services indicates this bill will have no impact on state, county, and local revenues or expenditures.

The Department assumes that the administrative support provided by all executive branch departments would consist of providing meeting rooms, copies, and clerical support. The Department expects that this support can could be provided from existing resources.