BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 945
86R8026 SOS-D	By: Watson
	Higher Education
	3/18/2019
	As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Young adults are especially susceptible to the dangers of drug and alcohol overuse. Because of this, college campuses have an obligation to provide education and resources to make young adults and campus employees aware of the dangers of misusing drugs and alcohol and how to intervene when an overdose occurs.

Drug and alcohol overdose is a medical emergency, and initiating treatment as early as possible, even before emergency medical services arrive, is imperative to saving a life. For example, the opioid antagonist naloxone (sometimes referred to by brand names "NARCAN" or "EVZIO") is a life-saving medication that can be administered as a nasal spray or a shot by laypersons with minimal training. Within minutes, this powerful medication can restore breathing to a person experiencing a potentially fatal opioid overdose.

Legislation passed in prior sessions encouraged campuses to acquire naloxone and make it widely available. Although that is an important step forward, we need to ensure those most likely to witness an overdose, like residential advisors and student organization leaders, are equipped to use it. S.B. 945 fills that gap by requiring public and private institutions of higher education that already have mandatory training for residential advisors and officers of student organizations to include a training component on drug and alcohol overdose awareness and response.

As proposed, S.B. 945 amends current law relating to drug or alcohol overdose awareness and response training for residential advisors and officers of student organizations at public or private institutions of higher education.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, by adding Section 51.9362, as follows:

Sec. 51.9362. DRUG AND ALCOHOL AWARENESS TRAINING FOR RESIDENTIAL ADVISORS AND STUDENT ORGANIZATION OFFICERS. (a) Defines "public or private institution of higher education," "residential advisor," "residential facility" and "student organization" for purposes of this section.

(b) Requires a public or private institution of higher education that imposes any mandatory training requirements on residential advisors or officers of student organizations to ensure that drug and alcohol overdose awareness and appropriate response training is included with that training.

SECTION 2. Provides that this Act applies beginning with training required for the 2019�2020 academic year.

SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2019.