Call to Order and Roll Call
The 7th meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Appropriations and Revenue was held on Thursday, December 19, 2013, at 1:00 PM, in Room 154 of the Capitol Annex. Senator Bob Leeper, Chair, called the meeting to order, and the secretary called the roll.
Present were:
Members: Senator Bob Leeper, Co-Chair; Representative Rick Rand, Co-Chair; Senators Walter Blevins Jr., Sara Beth Gregory, Ernie Harris, Stan Humphries, Ray S. Jones II, Christian McDaniel, Gerald A. Neal, and Robin L. Webb; Representatives Dwight D. Butler, John Carney, Leslie Combs, Ron Crimm, Robert R. Damron, Mike Denham, Bob M. DeWeese, Kelly Flood, Jim Glenn, Martha Jane King, Jimmie Lee, Reginald Meeks, Marie Rader, Sal Santoro, Arnold Simpson, Rita Smart, John Will Stacy, Tommy Turner, David Watkins, Jim Wayne, Susan Westrom, Addia Wuchner, and Jill York.
Guests: Senator Katie Stine; Mr. Van Ingram, Executive Director, Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy; and Ms. Jane C. Driskell, State Budget Director.
LRC Staff: Pam Thomas, John Scott, Charlotte Quarles, Jennifer Hays, and Sheri Mahan.
Representative Crimm moved to approve the minutes from the previous meeting as written. The motion was seconded by Representative Denham. The motion carried by voice vote.
Heroin addiction in Kentucky
Senator Katie Stine discussed the heroin addiction problem in Kentucky. She then discussed the provisions of a bill draft, which she plans to introduce during the 2014 Regular Session, to address this problem.
Mr. Van Ingram, Executive Director of the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, discussed heroin use in the state and the measures being taken to address the problem. He discussed the number of overdose related deaths in the state during the first three quarters of 2013. Of the 639 deaths, 26 percent had heroin in the toxicology report. He discussed the geographic distribution of heroin related deaths, stating that while the larger numbers are still located within metropolitan areas, more rural areas are also starting to see heroin use and related overdose deaths.
Mr. Ingram said that there were 451 heroin related arrests in 2010. As of September 10, 2013, there had been 2,382 arrests. This highlights the increase in heroin use in the state. He detailed the reason behind this increase, discussing Kentucky’s long history with opioid abuse and the recent crackdown on opioid accessibility. With the influx of Mexican brown heroin, the drug has become a cheaper and more readily available substitute for traditionally abused opioids.
Mr. Ingram discussed ways to address this problem, including public education, increased access to treatment, enhanced penalties for traffickers, and greater access to the treatment drug Naloxone.
In response to questions from Senator McDaniel, Mr. Ingram said that methamphetamine, cocaine, and prescription drug use in Kentucky is declining due to stricter enforcement and dwindling supply while heroin use is increasing. Overdoses in general are declining, but only slightly over previous years.
In response to questions from Senator Gregory, Mr. Ingram said that family members of addicts have access to Naloxone. The proposed bill would increase access and allow advocacy groups to also have access to the drug.
Ms. Jane C. Driskell, State Budget Director, discussed state substance abuse funding. The total expenditure for substance abuse programs in FY 13 was $162.6 million. Of that total, $76.6 million were general funds, $8.3 million were agency funds, and $77.6 million were federal funds. The funds were distributed with the Justice Cabinet receiving $38.5 million, Health and Family Services receiving $38.3 million, the Drug Courts receiving $16.4 million, and the University of Kentucky receiving $63 million. She provided details of how each division distributed those funds.
Being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:45 p.m.