Jun. 12, 2018
HARRISBURG — The House Human Services Committee today reported out legislation authored by Rep. Jason Ortitay (R-Washington/Allegheny) to help address the opioid epidemic.
“In order to effectively fight the opioid epidemic, we must understand first what is working and what is not,” Ortitay said. “My legislation aims to compile a complete report on how the state is implementing existing state laws related to this issue. This would then allow us to see if additional laws are needed or if existing laws just need to be enforced. Furthermore, my bill would centralize litigation against the opioid manufacturers so that the judiciary can effectively weigh what, if any, responsibility the industry has to Pennsylvania taxpayers.”
House Bill 2200 would require state agencies to report and detail the efforts they have undertaken to implement state laws related to addiction. This information then would be compiled by the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs into a report to the General Assembly.
Next, the bill would require Pennsylvania’s attorney general to hold the opioid manufacturers accountable to the taxpayers by coordinating all the litigation now underway in Pennsylvania. Numerous counties and municipalities have announced their own legal action against manufacturers. Finally, the bill would create a process for declaring a public health emergency, instead of relying on a disaster declaration as has been done recently.
“Existing state law detailing disaster declarations was not written to address public health crises,” Ortitay said. “As a result, not all of the most appropriate and effective tools can be deployed. My legislation would remove these barriers so state government can quickly and most effectively help the people.”
The bill now goes to the full House for consideration.
The 46th Legislative District includes Collier and South Fayette townships and Bridgeville, Heidelberg, McDonald and Oakdale boroughs in Allegheny County. It also encompasses Canton, Cecil, Mt. Pleasant, Robinson and Smith townships and Burgettstown, McDonald and Midway boroughs in Washington County.
Representative Jason Ortitay
46th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Tracy Polovick
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