HB 845

Public Health - Overdose and Infectious Disease Prevention Services Program

Sponsor: Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk (District 21)Committee: Health and Government OperationsSubject: Public HealthStatus: Hearing 2/26 at 1:00 p.m. (as of Dec 1, 2025)

What this bill does

Official synopsis

Authorizing a community-based organization, with the approval of the Maryland Department of Health, to establish an Overdose and Infectious Disease Prevention Services Program to provide a location for the consumption of preobtained drugs, provide sterile needles, administer first aid, and provide certain other services; authorizing a Program to bill the insurance carrier of an individual who uses the services; authorizing the Department to approve not more than six programs, preferably two in urban, two in rural, and two in suburban areas; etc.

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Analysis reads the bill text, the fiscal note, and the witness list. It is generated by Claude and reviewed by nobody, so check the source documents before you rely on it.

Testimony (0)

MGA witness list

FAV 46FavorableFWA 1Favorable with amendmentsUNF 1Unfavorable

Position	Witness	Organization	Testimony
FAV	Anderson, Cola	BRIDGES Coalition (Baltimore Resources for Indoor Drug-use Grassroots Education & Safety)	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Archie, Ashley	Baltimore City Directorate	Written (PDF)
FAV	Ogbue, Christine	Baltimore City Health Department	Oral
FAV	Kerr, Samantha	Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Rabbitt, Dan	Behavioral Health System Baltimore	Written (PDF)
FAV	Carlock, Ruth	Brain Injury Association of Maryland	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Johnson, Ro	Charm City Care Connection	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Torsch, Toni	Daniel Carl Torsch Foundation	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Frailey, Gregory	Good Trouble Church	Written (PDF)
FAV	Clark, Ashleylobbyist	Harris Jones & Malone, LLC	Written (PDF)
FAV	Diamond, Joanna	Health Care for the Homeless	Written (PDF)
FAV	Greenberg, Molly	Health Care for the Homeless	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Irwin, Amos	Law Enforcement Action Partnership	Written (PDF)
FAV	Jackson, Edward	Law Enforcement Action Partnership	Written (PDF)
FAV	Lippens, Craig	MD Addiction Directors Council	Written (PDF)
FAV	Powell, Teron	MD Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence	Written (PDF)
FAV	Tauler, Ashleylobbyist	Maryland Coalition of Families	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Scott, Tiffinee	Maryland Peer Advisory Council (MPAC)	Oral
FAV	Themelis, Nina	Mayor's Office of Government Relations	Written (PDF)
FAV	Martin, Dan	Mental Health Association of Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Dunleavy, Jessie	NA	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Proctor, Karessa	NASW Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Rosen-Cohen, Nancy	NCADD-Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Livshin, Michelle	On Our Own of Maryland, Inc.	Written (PDF)
FAV	Wireman, Kim	Powell Recovery Center, Inc.	Written (PDF)
FAV	Rosier, Collanlobbyist	Pyramid Healthcare, Inc.	Position only
FAV	SWASC, UM	Social Work Advocates for Social Change	Written (PDF)
FAV	Emerson, Jessica	The Human Trafficking Prevention Project	Written (PDF)
FAV	Morhaim, Dan	none	Written (PDF)
FAV	Adams, MD, Joseph	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Carroll, Morgan	Individual	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Curwen-Garber, Darci	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Delegate Pena-Melnyk, Delegate Pena-Melnyklegislator	Individual	Oral
FAV	Dunn, Sam	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Fuentes, Celeste	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Gudlavalleti, Rajani	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Higdon, Thomas	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Krone, Christinelobbyist	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Luce, Rachel	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Mauer, William	Individual	Position only
FAV	McGinnis, Killian	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	McNulty, Robin	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Smith, Toni	Individual	Oral
FAV	Spradley, Elizabeth	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Steinberg, Deborahlobbyist	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Yeung, Rachelle	Individual	Oral + Written (PDF)
UNF	Tibbals, Trudy	Individual	Position only
FWA	(MD), State of Maryland	Individual	Written (PDF)

Organizations on record

Baltimore City DirectorateFAV 1

Baltimore City Health DepartmentFAV 1

Baltimore Harm Reduction CoalitionFAV 1

Behavioral Health System BaltimoreFAV 1

Brain Injury Association of MarylandFAV 1

BRIDGES Coalition (Baltimore Resources for Indoor Drug-use Grassroots Education & Safety)FAV 1

Charm City Care ConnectionFAV 1

Daniel Carl Torsch FoundationFAV 1

Good Trouble ChurchFAV 1

Harris Jones & Malone, LLCFAV 1

Health Care for the HomelessFAV 2

Law Enforcement Action PartnershipFAV 2

Maryland Coalition of FamiliesFAV 1

Maryland Peer Advisory Council (MPAC)FAV 1

Mayor's Office of Government RelationsFAV 1

MD Addiction Directors CouncilFAV 1

MD Association for the Treatment of Opioid DependenceFAV 1

Mental Health Association of MarylandFAV 1

NAFAV 1

NASW MarylandFAV 1

NCADD-MarylandFAV 1

noneFAV 1

On Our Own of Maryland, Inc.FAV 1

Powell Recovery Center, Inc.FAV 1

Pyramid Healthcare, Inc.FAV 1

Social Work Advocates for Social ChangeFAV 1

The Human Trafficking Prevention ProjectFAV 1

Registered lobbyists who testified

FAVClark, AshleyHarris Jones & Malone, LLCRegistered for: Beltway Fine Wine; Chesapeake Employers' Insurance Company; Community Associations Institute/Maryland Legislative Action Committee; Employ Prince George's, Inc.; Frederick Community College; Greater Baltimore Committee…

FAVTauler, AshleyMaryland Coalition of FamiliesRegistered for: Maryland Coalition of Families

FAVRosier, CollanPyramid Healthcare, Inc.Registered for: Pyramid Healthcare, Inc.

FAVKrone, ChristineRegistered for: American Coatings Association; Baltimore Gas and Electric Company; City of Rockville; Coordinating Center for Home and Community Care, The, LLC (dba The Coordinating Center); Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work, Inc.; LifeSpan Network…

FAVSteinberg, DeborahRegistered for: Legal Action Center