HCS HB 410 -- SUBSTANCE ABUSE TRAFFIC OFFENDER PROGRAM

SPONSOR:  Holand (Schaaf)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Committee on Health
Care Policy by a vote of 13 to 0.

This substitute revises provisions pertaining to the Substance
Abuse Traffic Offender Program.

The substitute:

(1)  Requires that some of the moneys deposited in the Health
Initiatives Fund be used for the administration of the program;

(2)  Requires that persons who have had their driver's license
suspended or revoked for various reasons enroll and complete the
program or a comparable program determined by the Department of
Mental Health;

(3)  Requires that enrollees in the program pay a supplemental
fee in addition to a required fee.  The amount of the
supplemental fee will be determined by the department, but will
not exceed $200.  This requirement applies to persons who are
guilty of intoxication-related offenses and various other
offenses; and

(4)  Requires administrators to remit to the Division of Alcohol
and Drug Abuse all supplemental fees, less 2% for administrative
costs.  Administrators and programs who fail to remit the
supplemental fees and interest on any unpaid supplemental fee
balance will be subject to a penalty or legal action by the
Attorney General.

FISCAL NOTE:  Estimated Net Income to Mental Health Earnings Fund
of $181,328 to $1,966,337 in FY 2004, $490,729 to $2,632,740 in
FY 2005, and $490,729 to $2,632,740 in FY 2006.  Estimated Net
Savings to Health Initiatives Fund of $1,365,680 in FY 2004, FY
2005, and FY 2006.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that the program was originally
established with the intent that it would be a self-funded
program.  The current fees collected from participants in the
program are inadequate to cover the increasing costs of
administering the program.  The bill would improve the
administration of the program and the collection of fees.  The
program receives 30,000 referrals annually and the recidivism
rate for former participants is lower than the national average
for similar programs.  The program is one of the most successful
programs in the country, thus contributing to improved public
safety efforts in Missouri.

Testifying for the bill were Representative Schaaf; Michael
Couty, Director, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Department
of Mental Health; Office of the Attorney General; and Missouri
Hospital Association.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

Joseph Deering, Legislative Analyst

Missouri House of Representatives
Last Updated July 25, 2003 at 10:11 am