(1) (a) Notwithstanding section 2-3-303.3, there is hereby created the opioid and other substance use disorders study committee. The committee consists of ten members of the general assembly appointed on or before June 1, 2018, as follows:

(I) Five members of the senate, with three members appointed by the president of the senate and two members appointed by the minority leader of the senate; and

(II) Five members of the house of representatives, with three members appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and two members appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives.

(b) The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint the chair of the committee in even-numbered years and the vice-chair in odd-numbered years, and the president of the senate shall appoint the chair of the committee in odd-numbered years and the vice-chair in even-numbered years.

(2) The committee shall:

(a) Study data, data analytics, and statistics on the scope of the substance use disorder problem in Colorado, including trends in rates of substance abuse, treatment admissions, and deaths from substance use;

(b) Study the current prevention, intervention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery resources, including substance abuse prevention outreach and education, available to Coloradans, as well as public and private insurance coverage and other sources of support for treatment and recovery resources;

(c) Review the availability of medication-assisted treatment and whether pharmacists can prescribe those medications through the development of collaborative pharmacy practice agreements with physicians;

(d) Examine the measures that other states, the United States government, and other countries use to address substance use disorders, including evidence-based best practices and the use of evidence in determining strategies to treat substance use disorders, and best practices on the use of prescription drug monitoring programs;

(e) Identify the gaps in prevention, intervention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery resources available to Coloradans and hurdles to accessing those resources;

(f) Identify possible legislative options to address gaps and hurdles to accessing prevention, intervention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery resources; and

(g) Examine law enforcement and criminal justice measures, including the prohibition of illegal drugs, penalties for trafficking illegal drugs, diversion, jail-based and prison-based treatment and reduction programs, and technologies and other requirements useful in enforcing laws removing opioid and other illegal substances.

(3) (a) The committee may meet up to six times per interim. The committee may recommend up to a total of five bills during each interim. Legislation recommended by the committee must be treated as legislation recommended by an interim committee for purposes of applicable deadlines, bill introduction limits, and any other requirements imposed by the joint rules of the general assembly.

(b) No later than December 1, 2018, and no later than each December 1 thereafter, the committee shall make a report to the legislative council created in section 2-3-301 that may include recommendations for legislation.

(4) (a) Members of the committee are entitled to receive the usual per diem and necessary travel and subsistence expenses as provided pursuant to section 2-2-307 for members of the general assembly who attend interim committee meetings.

(b) The director of research of the legislative council and the director of the office of legislative legal services shall provide staff assistance to the committee.