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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Stewart

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/19/2006

HB 0056

SHORT TITLE Opiate Replacement Therapy for Inmates

SB

ANALYST McOlash

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

250.0

Non-Rec

General Funds

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to the appropriation for the Corrections Department in the General Appropriation Act of

2006.

Duplicates Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Responses Received From

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill:

House Bill 56 appropriates $250,000 from the General fund to the Corrections Department for

the purpose of ...expenditure in FY 2007 and FY 2008 for the an opiate replacement therapy for

inmates pilot project,, utilizing buprenorphine/naloxone, to fifty women, with histories of opiate

addiction, who are about to be released on parole from the NM Women’s Correctional Facility in

Grants.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $250,000 contained in this bill is a non-recurring expense to the General

Fund for expenditures in FYs 2007 and 2008. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance re-

maining at the end of FY 2008 shall revert to the General Fund.

House Bill 56 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

This bill appropriates an additional $250,000 to the Corrections Department while adding a sig-

nificant number of requirements on the Correction Department and the Department of Health in

administering this pilot project.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

HB 56 does not provide performance standards but it outlines an entire evaluation process for

subjects and controls including the collection of data on:

1.

recidivism,

2.

levels of use of psychotropic medications,

3.

urine drug screens,

4.

infections, self-inflicted injury and medical care,

5.

changes in physical, mental health, employment status and other quality of life indica-

tors; and

6.

adherence to opiate replacement therapy.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The Corrections Department and the Department of Health are require to report independently to

the appropriate interim legislative committee on the evaluations, treatments, and outcomes by

December 1, 2007 and December 1, 2008.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

Buprenorphine (Subutex) and buprenorphine and naloxone (Suboxone) are used to treat opioid

dependence (addiction to opioid drugs, including heroin and narcotic painkillers). Buprenorphine

is in a class of medications called opioid partial agonist-antagonists, and naloxone is in a class of

medications called opioid antagonists. Buprenorphine alone and the combination of

buprenorphine and naloxone prevent withdrawal symptoms when someone stops taking opioid

drugs by producing similar effects to these drugs.

BM/mt