Dose of Reality: Gov. Walker to sign 7 HOPE Agenda bills into law in fight against opioid abuse

DE PERE/SCHOFIELD -- Governor Scott Walker will stop in De Pere and Schofield Monday, July 17th -- where he'll sign seven HOPE Agenda bills into law.

HOPE is an acronym for heroin and opiate prevention and education.

The legislation is aimed at combating the opioid epidemic in Wisconsin.

First, Governor Walker will stop at the Medical College of Wisconsin in De Pere, where he'll sign four of the bills.

Then, he'll make his way over to DC Everest Senior High School in Schofield to sign the remaining three.

Below is information on each of the seven bills:

Assembly Bill 445: Requires individuals to show proper identification when picking up schedule II or III narcotic/opiate prescription medication in order to address prescription fraud and diversion.

Assembly Bill 446: Provides all levels of EMTs, first responders, police and fire the ability to be trained to administer Naloxone Narcan, a drug used to counter the effects of opiate overdose, such as a heroin overdose. Any person who administers the drug is immune from civil or criminal liability provided their actions are consistent with Wisconsin’s Good Samaritan law.

Assembly Bill 447: Provides limited immunity from certain criminal prosecutions for a person who seeks assistance from the police or medical professionals for another individual who has overdosed on controlled substances.

Assembly Bill 448: Encourages communities to set up drug disposal programs and regulates these programs so unwanted prescription drugs do not fall into the wrong hands.

Assembly Bill 668: Expands Treatment Alternatives and Diversion (TAD) programs by increasing funding by $1.5 million annually. Administered by the county, TAD has proven to be an effective and efficient means of combating drug and alcohol abuse in our state.

Assembly Bill 701: Creates regional pilot programs to address opiate addiction in underserved areas. The treatment programs will assess individuals to determine treatment needs, provide counseling, and medical or abstinence-based treatment. After individuals successfully complete the program, they will be transitioned into county-based or private post-treatment care.

Assembly Bill 702: Creates a system of immediate punishments for individuals who violate their parole or probation parolees based on so-called “swift and certain” laws in other states. The model is based on research that shows that it’s the swiftness and the certainty of the sanction, not the length of the confinement, which has the greatest impact on influencing an offender’s behavior.

CLICK HERE to learn much more about the HOPE Agenda legislation.