Substitute Bill No. 6698 Summary

• Establishes a new Office of the Chief Drug Policy Officer within the Office of Governmental Accountability, effective July 1, 2023, led by a Governor-appointed officer serving four-year terms with approval from the General Assembly.

• Chief Drug Policy Officer duties include serving as central contact for state-wide peer navigator programs, evaluating substance use disorder services across state agencies, coordinating inter-agency efforts to reduce duplication, and receiving/investigating complaints from the public.

• Requires the Chief Drug Policy Officer to submit annual reports to the Governor and relevant legislative committees starting January 31, 2024, detailing office activities and work on substance use disorder issues.

• Establishes a pilot peer navigator program by January 1, 2023, in up to five urban, suburban, and rural communities, to be replaced by a state-wide program by January 1, 2024, using Opioid Settlement Fund moneys to serve persons with opioid use disorder.

• Expands eligible uses of Opioid Settlement Fund to include documented expenses for administering the state-wide peer navigator program and adds the Chief Drug Policy Officer as an eighth member of the Governmental Accountability Commission.