Missouri Edging Closer to Prescription Drug Monitoring Program

April 29

After a decade, Missouri is one step closer to shedding its designation, as the only state in the country without a prescription drug monitoring program, after a bill to establish one was passed out of the Senate.

Senate Bill 63, sponsored by Sen. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, cleared what has historically been a stumbling block for the legislation by a vote of 20 to 12. It now heads to the House, where, unlike the Senate, it has historically found success.

The bill would establish a “Joint Oversight Task Force for Prescription Drug Monitoring,” which would be made up of licensed healthcare professionals, who would oversee the creation of a centralized database. The bill is based on the compromise lawmakers reached on last year’s legislation.