Substance abuse services; making certain school training mandatory; requiring boards of education of public school districts to provide certain personnel with emergency opioid antagonists under specified condition. Effective date. Emergency.
Summary
SB913 expands Oklahoma’s emergency opioid antagonist laws, primarily by directing the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to supply naloxone or similar FDA-approved overdose-reversal drugs and overdose-response training to certain public entities. The bill covers the Department of Corrections, county jails, and public school districts, but the school-related provisions are the most detailed. It requires the department to provide overdose education materials that follow SAMHSA guidance and explain overdose recognition, rescue techniques, emergency response, and how to obtain the medication.
For schools, the bill amends the existing school overdose-response statute to make training mandatory for personnel authorized to administer an emergency opioid antagonist. It allows school nurses, other designated staff, and, if necessary, any person at the school to administer the medication in response to a suspected overdose, even without a prescription or standing order. It also directs boards of education, subject to available state-provided supply, to furnish trained personnel with doses to keep on hand in classrooms or workspaces, and it preserves Good Samaritan protections and civil immunity for those who administer the drug in good faith.
Impact
The bill would amend both the state’s emergency opioid antagonist statute in Title 43A and the school health statute in Title 70. It would shift Oklahoma law from permissive or limited school overdose-response authority toward a more affirmative statewide training-and-supply framework, with the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services responsible for providing medication and training when federal funding is available. Public school districts would have a new obligation to ensure trained personnel are equipped with doses of emergency opioid antagonists, and schools would have clearer authority and liability protection when responding to suspected overdoses. The bill also extends overdose-response support to corrections facilities and county jails through the same state supply and training structure.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee debate, recorded votes, or formal opposition in the provided materials, so the overall sentiment cannot be measured from discussion transcripts. Based on the bill’s caption and structure, the measure appears to be framed as a public health and safety bill focused on overdose preparedness in schools and correctional settings. The inclusion of an emergency clause suggests the sponsor viewed the issue as urgent.
Contention
The main policy questions likely concern funding, implementation, and scope. The bill conditions the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services’ supply obligations on the allocation of federal funding, which may raise concerns about whether districts and facilities will receive enough medication and training to meet the mandate. Another possible point of contention is the expansion of who may administer naloxone at schools, including allowing any person to do so in the absence of designated trained staff, though the bill also provides immunity and Good Samaritan coverage. No specific supporters or opponents are identified in the provided legislative history.
Carry Over
Substance abuse services; making certain school training mandatory; requiring boards of education of public school districts to provide certain personnel with emergency opioid antagonists under specified condition. Effective date. Emergency.