Columbia state lawmaker’s opioid overdose legislation to be heard by Missouri House committee today

A Missouri House committee will hear testimony this afternoon on a Columbia state lawmaker’s bill that would require public institutions of higher education like Mizzou to have opioid overdose rescue kits available for public use on campuses.

The Missouri House Higher Education Committee will hold a 4 pm hearing today on the bill from State Rep. Doug Mann (D-Columbia). His three-page bill would require the rescue kits to be in a clearly visible location on campuses with the words “Opioid Overdose Rescue Kit- Naloxone Nasal Spray” or other terms approved by the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development.

Representative Mann’s House Bill 1997 would not apply to private colleges like Stephens College or Columbia College. State Rep. Brenda Shields (R-St. Joseph) chairs the Missouri House Higher Education Committee.