Newly Signed Michigan Laws Fight Opioid Overdoses, Animal Abuse

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is vacationing out of state, so his second-in-command, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, has signed 11 new laws, including one that puts drug overdose reversal drugs in the hands of school officials for use in emergencies. He also signed “Logan’s Law,” which is intended to prevent convicted animal abusers from adopting pets.

Calley called the law that allows pharmacists to dispense opioid antagonists like naloxone “common-sense reform.” To receive naloxone, school districts must have at least two employees who are trained on how to administer the drug.

“Protecting the health and safety of Michiganders by working to reduce opioid addiction and overdose deaths continue to be a priority but addiction is still on the rise so there is still a lot of work to do,” Calley said in a statement. “Increasing access to medications that prevent overdose deaths is a common-sense reform that will save lives.”

The bills were recommended by the Michigan Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Task Force, which Calley chairs, as part of a strategy to make opioid antagonists more readily available. The new laws are Public Acts 383,384 and 385.

“Logan’s Law,” which was sparked by horrific abuse to a Siberian Husky that died after having acid thrown in his face while he was kenneled in his owner’s back yard. The new laws, Public Acts 392 and 392, stop short of creating an animal abuse registry, which proponents had wanted, but allow personnel at animal shelters to check the background of potential adopters through the Internet Criminal History Access Tool.

Another high-profile bill, now Public Act 389, stops local governments are prohibited from enacting ordinances that regulate, prohibit or impose a fee on the use of plastic bags.

Opponents have said the law takes away local control, and it will render moot action by the Washtenaw County Commission in June joined some 200 jurisdictions across the country in imposing a 10-cent fee on the use of most plastic bags retailers use to package their products. Plastic bags create multiple environmental problems, damage recycling equipment and take up space in the landfill, according to backers, who called the legislation a model of environmentalism.

Business groups, including the Michigan Restaurant Association and the Michigan Grocers Association, were solidly behind the proposed ban on bag bans and fees and argued for consistency across the state.

Also signed Wednesday:

Public Acts 386 and 387: Abortion providers are prohibited from receiving any financial compensation for the transfer of fetal tissue from elective abortions under these laws, which set out the maximum penalties for doing so.

Public Act 388: CPR and automated external defibrillation training will be incorporated into health education for grades 7-12 before the 2017-2018 school year.

Public Act 390: To maintain eligibility for federal Medicaid match reimbursement dollars, a use tax can no longer be collected on Medicaid HMOs.

Public Act 391: Current high school social studies curricula must now include material covered by the civics portion of the federal naturalization test.

Photo via Logan’s Law Facebook page, used with permission