05/11/2002 11:50 AM Senate JUD

             SB 230-PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS FOR CHILDREN                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR BETTYE  DAVIS, sponsor, informed  members that SB  230 has                                                              
the support of  many groups, school districts,  and the Department                                                              
of Education  and Early  Development (DOEED).   Many other  states                                                              
have  adopted  similar  legislation   because  of  problems  where                                                              
children  were  being forced  to  take  prescription  psychotropic                                                              
drugs.  Senator  Davis said  this  legislation  has no  cost.  She                                                              
pointed out this  legislation will be helpful  to school districts                                                              
and  the Department  of Health  and Social  Services because  many                                                              
times workers can  force children out of their  homes by insisting                                                              
they  need to  take  psychotropic  drugs. With  SB  230 in  place,                                                              
workers  can recommend  that children  be  placed on  psychotropic                                                              
drugs but  it would  not give  them the  authority to demand  that                                                              
children take those drugs.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR  thanked Senator  Davis and said  he has  heard of                                                              
situations  in  his district  in  which  children were  placed  on                                                              
psychotropic  drugs but once  the children  were removed  from the                                                              
drugs and the school setting, they did very well.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR ELLIS moved SB 230 with individual  recommendations to the                                                              
next committee of referral.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR THERRIAULT asked if the committee adopted Version J.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  TAYLOR noted  that Version  J needed  to be adopted  and                                                              
SENATOR DAVIS agreed.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  ELLIS moved  to  withdraw his  previous  motion and  then                                                              
moved  to adopt  Version J  (Lauterbach, 3/26/02)  as the  working                                                              
draft before the committee.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR  announced that without  objection, Version  J was                                                              
adopted.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  ELLIS moved  CSSB 230(JUD)  and  any accompanying  fiscal                                                              
notes  on  to  the next  committee  of  referral  with  individual                                                              
recommendations.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN TAYLOR  commented that the  fiscal notes are  zero fiscal                                                              
notes  so the  bill  does not  have  to be  heard  in the  Finance                                                              
Committee.  He  then  announced   that  with  no  objection,  CSSB
(JUD) moved from committee.