Sponsored by:
Assemblyman R. BRUCE LAND
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Vainieri Huttle, Assemblymen Armato and Mazzeo
SYNOPSIS
Requires reporting of opioid deaths.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning opioid deaths and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. A coroner, medical examiner, or health care professional who examines an individual whose death was caused by opioid use, shall report the death and the type of opioid that was the cause of death, if such information is ascertainable, to the Department of Health, as determined by the Department of Health.
As used in this subsection:
“Health care professional" means an individual licensed by this State, pursuant to Title 45 of the Revised Statutes, to administer health care in the ordinary course of business or practice of a profession.
b. The Department of Health shall publish on its Internet website the number of deaths caused by opioids and the type of opioid that was the cause of death, if such information is ascertainable, according to reports received by the Department of Health pursuant to subsection a. of this section.
2. The Department of Health shall, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules or regulations as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.
3. This act shall take effect 180 days after enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires reporting of opioid deaths. Under the bill, a coroner, medical examiner, or health care professional who examines an individual whose death was caused by opioid use, shall report the death and the type of opioid that was the cause of death, if such information is ascertainable, to the Department of Health (department), as determined by the department.
Under the bill, the department is to publish on its Internet website the number of deaths caused by opioids and the type of opioid that was the cause of death, if such information is ascertainable, according to reports received by the department pursuant to this bill.