2018 Inmate Pharmacy Purchasing/Monitoring Legislation

I am a member of the Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee, which among many other things, previously examined the efficiency and economy of inmate healthcare. During the 2018 Special Session, I was one of the two Primary Sponsors of House Bill 1108, which focused on pharmaceutical-related expenditures for inmates, which totaled $72,700,000 during the 2016-2017 fiscal year. The Bill requires developing a program for purchasing medications for the treatment of certain costly medical conditions; revising medication administration protocol; establishing controls to limit medications lost during the inmate transfer process; and developing a mechanism to ensure adherence to the short-supply policy for local medication purchases. It is estimated that the provisions of this Bill will save the State of North Carolina approximately $13,400,000 per year.