republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2021/hb-2300.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Hospitals; emergency treatment for substance use-related emergencies."
description: "State Board of Health; hospitals; emergency treatment for substance use-related emergencies; services. Requires each hospital with an emergency department that is currently regulated by the State Board of Health (the Board) to establish a protocol for treatment and discharge of individuals experiencing a substance use-related emergency, which shall include provisions for (i) appropriate screening and assessment of individuals experiencing substance use-related emergencies and (ii) recommendations for follow-up care, which may include dispensing of naloxone or other opioid antagonist used for overdose reversal, issuance of a prescription for naloxone, and information about accessing naloxone at a community pharmacy or organization that dispenses naloxone or other opioid antagonist to persons without a prescription. Such protocols may also include referrals to peer recovery specialists and community-based providers of behavioral health services or providers of pharmacotherapy for the treatment of drug or alcohol dependence or mental health diagnoses. The bill also directs the Department of Health, together with the Department of Health Professions, to convene a work group to develop recommendations for best practices for the treatment and discharging of patients in emergency departments experiencing opioid-related emergencies, including overdose, which shall include recommendations for best practices related to (a) performing substance use assessments and screenings for patients experiencing opioid-related overdose and other high-risk patients; (b) prescribing and dispensing naloxone or other opioid antagonists used for overdose reversal; (c) connecting patients treated for opioid-related emergencies, including overdose, and their families with community substance abuse resources, including existing harm reduction programs and other treatment providers; and (d) identifying barriers to and developing solutions to increase the availability and dispensing of naloxone or other opioid antagonist used for overdose reversal at hospitals and community pharmacies and by other community organizations. The bill also provides that hospitals in the Commonwealth may enter into agreements with the Department of Health for the provision to uninsured patients of naloxone or other opioid antagonist used for overdose reversal."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 2300"
citation: "Virginia HB 2300 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Karrie K. Delaney"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 39
vote_count: 9
first_action: "2021-01-18"
last_action: "2021-03-18"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/b6d34eaf-2067-4c47-8389-6cd5cbb68883"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+HB2300"
source_hash: "00028fd2fc68ab5066774aa1e2fffd2367143cd648eecb612159840e67b10fff"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia HB 2300 (2021) — Hospitals; emergency treatment for substance use-related emergencies.

State Board of Health; hospitals; emergency treatment for substance use-related emergencies; services. Requires each hospital with an emergency department that is currently regulated by the State Board of Health (the Board) to establish a protocol for treatment and discharge of individuals experiencing a substance use-related emergency, which shall include provisions for (i) appropriate screening and assessment of individuals experiencing substance use-related emergencies and (ii) recommendations for follow-up care, which may include dispensing of naloxone or other opioid antagonist used for overdose reversal, issuance of a prescription for naloxone, and information about accessing naloxone at a community pharmacy or organization that dispenses naloxone or other opioid antagonist to persons without a prescription. Such protocols may also include referrals to peer recovery specialists and community-based providers of behavioral health services or providers of pharmacotherapy for the treatment of drug or alcohol dependence or mental health diagnoses. The bill also directs the Department of Health, together with the Department of Health Professions, to convene a work group to develop recommendations for best practices for the treatment and discharging of patients in emergency departments experiencing opioid-related emergencies, including overdose, which shall include recommendations for best practices related to (a) performing substance use assessments and screenings for patients experiencing opioid-related overdose and other high-risk patients; (b) prescribing and dispensing naloxone or other opioid antagonists used for overdose reversal; (c) connecting patients treated for opioid-related emergencies, including overdose, and their families with community substance abuse resources, including existing harm reduction programs and other treatment providers; and (d) identifying barriers to and developing solutions to increase the availability and dispensing of naloxone or other opioid antagonist used for overdose reversal at hospitals and community pharmacies and by other community organizations. The bill also provides that hospitals in the Commonwealth may enter into agreements with the Department of Health for the provision to uninsured patients of naloxone or other opioid antagonist used for overdose reversal.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **CHAP0233** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+CHAP0233)
2. **Committee substitute printed 21103718D-H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB2300H1)
3. **HB2300ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB2300ER)
4. **Presented and ordered printed 21103156D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB2300)

## Votes

- Reported from Education and Health with amendments (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in Education and Health (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Adoption (97-Y 0-N) — **96–0** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage #2 (99-Y 0-N) — **98–0** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (98-Y 0-N 1-A) — **97–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (32-Y 0-N) — **32–0** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (7-Y 0-N) — **7–0** (pass) · lower
- Passed Senate with amendments (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Health, Welfare and Institutions with substitute (21-Y 0-N) — **21–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Karrie K. Delaney — primary (person)
- Carrie E. Coyner — cosponsor (person)
- Dan I. Helmer — cosponsor (person)
- John J. Bell — cosponsor (person)
- Kathleen Murphy — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2021-01-18** Presented and ordered printed 21103156D `introduction`
- **2021-01-18** Referred to Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-23** Assigned HWI sub: Health `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-26** House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
- **2021-01-26** Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (7-Y 0-N)
- **2021-01-28** Reported from Health, Welfare and Institutions with substitute (21-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-01-28** Committee substitute printed 21103718D-H1 `substitution`
- **2021-02-01** Impact statement from DPB (HB2300H1)
- **2021-02-01** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2021-02-02** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2021-02-02** Committee substitute agreed to 21103718D-H1
- **2021-02-02** Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB2300H1
- **2021-02-03** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N 1-A) `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-02-03** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (98-Y 0-N 1-A)
- **2021-02-03** Reconsideration of passage agreed to by House
- **2021-02-03** Passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2021-02-03** VOTE: Block Vote Passage #2 (99-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-04** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2021-02-04** Referred to Committee on Education and Health `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-05** Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in Education and Health (15-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-12** Assigned Education sub: Health `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-16** Senate subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
- **2021-02-18** Reported from Education and Health with amendments (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-19** Constitutional reading dispensed (32-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-22** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2021-02-22** Reading of amendments waived
- **2021-02-22** Committee amendments agreed to
- **2021-02-22** Engrossed by Senate as amended
- **2021-02-22** Passed Senate with amendments (39-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2021-02-23** Placed on Calendar
- **2021-02-23** Senate amendments agreed to by House (97-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-23** VOTE: Adoption (97-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-25** Enrolled
- **2021-02-25** Impact statement from DPB (HB2300ER)
- **2021-02-25** Signed by President
- **2021-02-26** Signed by Speaker
- **2021-03-01** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 1, 2021
- **2021-03-01** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 31, 2021
- **2021-03-18** Approved by Governor-Chapter 233 (effective 7/1/21) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/b6d34eaf-2067-4c47-8389-6cd5cbb68883`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).