PRINTER'S NO. 2018
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
1336
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY YAW, TEPLITZ, MENSCH, SCHWANK, ARGALL, BARTOLOTTA,
RESCHENTHALER, VULAKOVICH, AUMENT, RAFFERTY, COSTA, DINNIMAN,
YUDICHAK, BOSCOLA AND BROWNE, JULY 7, 2016
REFERRED TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE, JULY 7, 2016
AN ACT
Amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177, No.175), entitled
"An act providing for and reorganizing the conduct of the
executive and administrative work of the Commonwealth by the
Executive Department thereof and the administrative
departments, boards, commissions, and officers thereof,
including the boards of trustees of State Normal Schools, or
Teachers Colleges; abolishing, creating, reorganizing or
authorizing the reorganization of certain administrative
departments, boards, and commissions; defining the powers and
duties of the Governor and other executive and administrative
officers, and of the several administrative departments,
boards, commissions, and officers; fixing the salaries of the
Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and certain other executive
and administrative officers; providing for the appointment of
certain administrative officers, and of all deputies and
other assistants and employes in certain departments, boards,
and commissions; providing for the regulation of pari-mutuel
thoroughbred horse racing and harness horse racing
activities, imposing certain taxes and providing for the
disposition of funds from pari-mutuel tickets; and
prescribing the manner in which the number and compensation
of the deputies and all other assistants and employes of
certain departments, boards and commissions shall be
determined," in powers and duties of Department of Drug and
Alcohol Programs, providing for drug overdose death
reporting.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177, No.175), known
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as The Administrative Code of 1929, is amended by adding a
section to read:
Section 2302-A. Drug overdose death reporting.
(a) General rule.--The Department of Drug and Alcohol
Programs shall collect and maintain information submitted by
county coroners and medical examiners under subsection (b).
(b) Duty to submit and maintain information.--Every coroner
or medical examiner in this Commonwealth shall report in writing
to the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs within five days
of certification the death of any person resulting from a drug
overdose, giving the time and place of the death and the
circumstances relating thereto. These reports shall be made on
forms prescribed by the department. Every coroner or medical
examiner shall retain a copy of the reports in his office for a
period of two years.
(c) Use of information.--The Department of Drug and Alcohol
Programs shall use the information obtained under this section
to:
(1) Communicate concerns to regulators and facilitate
communication within the health care and legal systems about
issues that could threaten health and public safety.
(2) Prepare aggregate statistics relating to deaths
resulting from drug overdoses and include the statistics in
the annual report required under section 4(9) of the act of
October 24, 2012 (P.L.1198, No.148), known as the Methadone
Death and Incident Review Act.
(d) Confidentiality.--The Department of Drug and Alcohol
Programs shall maintain the confidentiality of any identifying
information obtained relating to the death of an individual,
including the name of the individual, guardians, family members,
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caretakers or alleged or suspected perpetrators of abuse,
neglect or a criminal act.
(e) Immunity.--An individual who in good faith provides
information or records to the Department of Drug and Alcohol
Programs under this section shall not be subject to civil or
criminal liability as a result of providing the information or
records.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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