1Establishing a pilot program that provides grants to vocational-
2technical schools and career and technical institutes for
3instruction in drug and alcohol counseling relating primarily
4to the prevention of heroin use, addiction and related
5deaths; and making an appropriation.

6The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
7hereby enacts as follows:

8Section 1. Short title.

9This act shall be known and may be cited as the Vocational-
10Technical School Drug and Alcohol Counseling Pilot Program.

11Section 2. Legislative findings and purpose.

12(a) Legislative Findings.--The General Assembly finds and
13declares that:

14(1) This Commonwealth is experiencing an epidemic in the
15incidence of addiction, overdose and resultant deaths
16involving the use of heroin.

17(2) Heroin use has risen among youth and its use
18transcends all demographic and geographic boundaries.

19(3) Programs established in high school curricula

1provide students with the opportunity to learn about the
2potential dangers and consequences of the abuse of alcohol
3and illegal drugs such as heroin.

4(4) There is a need to establish drug and alcohol
5counseling in the curriculum of vocational-technical schools
6and career and technical institutes to provide students with
7the opportunity to earn school credits toward a degree in
8this field of study.

9(5) An increase in the number of well-trained drug and
10alcohol counselors will help to more effectively address the
11drug and alcohol problems of citizens in this Commonwealth
12and, in particular, to meet the increased need to prevent and
13treat the problems of addiction and overdose related to the
14use of heroin.

15(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this act is to implement a
16pilot program that will:

17(1) Create a distinctive curriculum for students in
18vocational-technical schools or career and technical
19institutes that provides students an opportunity to study, to
20earn school credits and to graduate with a degree in drug and
21alcohol counseling in order to meet the increased need for
22individuals trained in this field of endeavor.

23(2) Study the effectiveness of the curriculum in
24providing essential insights and counsel regarding the
25ability of students to implement the developed educational
26strategies and to prevent citizens' and, in particular,
27youth's involvement in the use and addiction to drugs, and
28more specifically heroin, with the overall goal of reducing
29deaths from heroin overdose.

30(3) If the program is found to be effective, make the

1curriculum available to other vocational-technical schools or
2career and technical institutes in this Commonwealth to
3better address local drug and alcohol abuse and addiction
4problems.

5Section 3. Definitions.

6The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
7have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
8context clearly indicates otherwise:

9"Department." The Department of Education of the
10Commonwealth.

11"Program." The Vocational-Technical School Drug and Alcohol
12Counseling Pilot Program established by this act.

13Section 4. Vocational-Technical School Drug and Alcohol
14Counseling Pilot Program.

15(a) Establishment.--The department shall establish and
16administer the Vocational-Technical School Drug and Alcohol
17Counseling Pilot Program to be utilized as a separate and
18distinct curriculum leading to a degree in drug and alcohol
19counseling for participating students in vocational-technical
20schools or career and technical institutes. The curriculum shall
21provide insight and counsel to students regarding the dangers to
22citizens' health and well-being of drug and alcohol abuse, as
23well as the other potential consequences of such behavior,
24specifically address the prevention of the abuse of heroin and
25include a focus on potentially effective strategies for
26preventing the use, addiction and overdose deaths involving
27youth.

28(b) Program operation.--The program shall operate for three
29full school years, beginning with the school year that begins at
30least six months after the effective date of this section.

1(c) Funds.--The department shall use State funds
2appropriated by the General Assembly for the program under
3section 9 and shall award grants to vocational-technical schools
4or career and technical institutes that participate in the
5program. No grant may exceed $50,000.

6(d) Consultation.--The department shall consult with the
7Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs in developing the
8program and any other organization that specializes in and has
9expertise with the problems related to illegal drug and alcohol
10abuse and addiction and, in particular, with the drug heroin, in
11establishing, operating and evaluating the program.

12Section 5. Duties.

13No later than four months after the effective date of this
14section, the department shall:

15(1) Establish guidelines and procedures for the program
16that shall include:

17(i) Establishing curricular materials that address
18effective prevention of alcohol and drug abuse, with a
19particular focus on the use of heroin and its inherent
20potential dangers, including addiction and overdose
21leading to death and with a special emphasis on
22potentially effective strategies for the prevention of
23the use, addiction and overdose death by youth.

24(ii) Providing technical advice and support for
25schools that request assistance in implementing the
26program.

27(2) Develop and publicize an application procedure for
28school districts interested in having the vocational-
29technical school or career and technical institute which
30their students attend participate in the program.

1(3) Select not more than 12 vocational-technical schools
2or career and technical institutes to participate in the
3program from the list of applications received by school
4districts located in counties of the fourth class.

5(4) Assure that the vocational-technical schools and
6career and technical institutes chosen for the program are
7located in counties of the fourth class and are
8geographically dispersed throughout this Commonwealth.

9Section 6. School district requirements.

10(a) Nomination.--The board of directors of a school district
11located in a county of the fourth class may submit an
12application to the department nominating the vocational-
13technical school or career and technical institute with which it
14is affiliated to participate in the program. The application
15shall include written consent by the vocational-technical school
16or career and technical institute to the nomination.

17(b) Application.--No later than six months after the
18effective date of this section, a school district may submit an
19application to the department in the manner prescribed by the
20department. Each school district which applies to have the
21vocational-technical school or career and technical institute
22with which it is affiliated considered for participation in the
23program shall agree to do all of the following:

24(1) Establish the program curriculum created by the
25department as a curriculum that is separate from its
26established curricular programs and that provides a separate
27and distinct curricular track into which students may enroll
28for the purpose of studying to earn a degree in the field of
29drug and alcohol counseling.

30(2) Participate in the program for three years.

1Section 7. Evaluation of program.

2The department shall contract with a nationally recognized
3drug and alcohol counseling evaluation institution or
4organization to provide an evaluation of the program to review
5its effectiveness for students who are studying to become drug
6and alcohol counselors in deterring the abuse of alcohol and
7drugs and, in particular, preventing or reducing citizens'
8involvement in the use of heroin and reducing the number of
9heroin overdoses and deaths related to heroin overdose. The
10evaluation shall include a special focus on examining the
11potential effectiveness of developed strategies for the
12prevention of heroin use by youth. The evaluation shall be
13published on the department's publicly accessible Internet
14website. The contract shall require the institution to submit a
15report in accordance with section 8.

16Section 8. Reports.

17(a) School district report.--Each participating school
18district shall annually report to the department data and
19information about the operation of the program in the manner
20prescribed by the department.

21(b) Department report.--The department shall annually
22furnish to the Governor, the Education Committee of the Senate
23and the Education Committee of the House of Representatives a
24report on the program.

25(c) Institution report.--Upon the conclusion of the third
26school year of the program, the drug and alcohol counseling
27evaluation institution or organization shall prepare a
28comprehensive report outlining the three-year history of the
29program and its potential for successfully contributing to
30reducing alcohol and drug abuse and, in particular, for reducing

1the incidence of the use, addiction, overdose and related deaths
2involving heroin by youth in this Commonwealth.

3Section 9. Appropriation.

4The sum of $500,000 is hereby appropriated to the department
5for the purpose of grants to vocational-technical schools and
6career and technical institutes participating in the program.

7Section 10. Effective date.

8This act shall take effect immediately.