HB 361, the Drug Overdose Training Amendments, requires the Division of Integrated Healthcare within the Utah Department of Health and Human Services to create training and educational materials on recognizing a drug overdose. The bill also amends Utah’s alcohol training and education seminar requirements so that, for certain licensee staff who serve or supervise alcohol service, the seminar curriculum must include those overdose-recognition materials in addition to existing alcohol safety topics.
The bill is primarily an education and prevention measure. It does not appropriate money, but it directs the division to develop the materials and incorporate them into existing training infrastructure for alcohol servers and managers. The bill also includes a liability shield stating that receiving the overdose training materials does not create or increase liability for the individual who receives them or for the individual’s employer.
Impact
HB 361 amends Utah Code sections 26B-5-102 and 26B-5-205. In practice, it adds overdose-recognition education to the Division of Integrated Healthcare’s responsibilities and makes that content part of the required alcohol training seminar curriculum for applicable licensee staff. The bill affects the Division of Integrated Healthcare, alcohol seminar providers, alcohol licensees, and employees who must complete the seminar, while leaving the broader structure of alcohol training and enforcement in place.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been received very favorably. It passed the House committee unanimously, passed the House floor with only one dissenting vote, and then passed the Senate committee and Senate floor unanimously. The voting history suggests broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition to the bill’s public-health focus.
Contention
There is little evidence of major controversy in the available record. The only notable policy point is the requirement that alcohol training include drug overdose recognition materials, which expands the seminar curriculum beyond alcohol-specific topics. The bill also addresses liability concerns by expressly stating that receipt of the materials does not create additional responsibility for employees or employers, suggesting that lawmakers anticipated and sought to avoid concerns about expanded legal exposure.
Controlled substances: other; sentencing guidelines for retail sale of products containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine; modify. Amends sec. 13m, ch. XVII of 1927 PA 175 (MCL 777.13m). TIE BAR WITH: HB 4947'25