Legislative Fix to 2012 Pill Mill Bill Passes House Judiciary Committee

FRANKFORT, Ky. - A bill addressing problems with last year's prescription pill mill bill has cleared the House Judiciary Committee.

Enlarge image

House Speaker Greg Stumbo is sponsoring the bill, which reduces some tough regulations that followed the pill mill bill.  The legislation, House Bill 217, requires hospitals and long term care facilities to still pull KASPER reports, but lessens other regulations on them

Stumbo told lawmakers that the bill would help codify easier regulations that were recently published and that the effort to crackdown on prescription pill abuse was effective.

"But you have a reason to be proud if you supported that bill because it's working. It's working from Pikeville to Paducah," he says.

Stumbo told lawmakers he believes the bill has support from Senate President Robert Stivers and Gov. Steve Beshear. It also said the Kentucky Medical Association, the main voice of complaints about the original bill, was not actively opposing this year's legislation.

"It's something that everybody as far as we know, is in agreement that it addresses many of the concerns without taking a step back on the tough requirements," Stumbo  says.

The bill unanimously passed committee.