Wisconsin Legislature passes opioids bills

MADISON — The Latest on action by Wisconsin Legislature on anti-opioids bills (all times local):

2:35 p.m.

The Wisconsin state Senate has given nearly unanimous approval to nine bills designed to fight the rise in overdose drug deaths caused by heroin and opioids.

The bills now head to Gov. Scott Walker who is expected to sign them into law.

Some Senate Democrats argued that while the proposals are a good start, they don't go far enough. Sen. Janet Bewley calls the bills a missed opportunity to do more.

The measures would increase funding to train school staff to screen students for addiction, create a charter high school for 15 recovering addicts, create two or three regional treatment programs for underserved areas of the state and do more to train doctors in treating addiction.

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6:10 a.m.

The Wisconsin Legislature is poised to give final passage to a series of bills designed to fight addiction to opioids.

The proposals up for a vote Tuesday have broad bipartisan support. The Senate was set to pass nine bills that have already cleared the Assembly.

They would expand treatment programs and a high school for addicted students. The bills would also lead to more training for doctors in addiction treatment and pay for new state drug agents and training for school staff to screen students for addiction.

Passing the bills would send them to Gov. Scott Walker.

Two other bills before the Assembly would grant immunity from parole or probation revocation to people who suffer overdoses and allow addicts to be involuntarily committed.