HB 603 Summary

• Authorizes the Director of Rehabilitation and Correction to implement a program improving prisoners' access to psychotropic drugs in state correctional institutions through physicians, physician assistants, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse practitioners, and licensed psychologists with prescriptive authority.

• Establishes a certificate to prescribe psychotropic drugs for licensed psychologists meeting specific requirements including a doctoral degree in psychology, postdoctoral master's in psychopharmacology, and passage of the psychopharmacology examination; limits to no more than six psychologists holding such certificates at one time.

• Authorizes the Director to implement a telemedicine program allowing medical and behavioral health care professionals to provide case consultation, treatment, or both to prisoners through telecommunication methods, contingent on prior in-person evaluation.

• Adds exemptions to drug offense statutes (sections 2925.02, 2925.03, 2925.11, 2925.12, 2925.14, 2925.23, 2925.36, 3719.06, 3719.81, 4729.01, and 4729.51) for conduct authorized under the new psychotropic drug access program.

• Updates the definition of "licensed health professional authorized to prescribe drugs" in section 4729.01 to include licensed psychologists holding certificates to prescribe psychotropic drugs.