Governor Hogan has committed to spending the $2 million set aside by the General Assembly for heroin treatment. As reported in The Baltimore Sun:

The governor campaigned on addressing Maryland’s growing crisis of heroin deaths. In a wide-ranging interview with a regional press association Thursday, he said he would spend the sum set aside by lawmakers for heroin treatment.

“It’s an emergency facing our state,” said Hogan, a Republican. “It’s tearing apart families and communities.”

As previously reported on Conduit Street, Governor Hogan had included an additional $2 million in general funds to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in his second supplemental budget for FY16 to be used to expand substance abuse treatment programs for individuals addicted to heroin. Although that supplemental budget was rejected, the General Assembly restricted $2 million to be used for treatment purposes and the Governor retained the authority to restore the funding through a budget amendment.

For more information read the full article in The Baltimore Sun.

Previous coverage:

$2 Million Supplemental Heroin Funding Still in Limbo

Governor Provides Additional $2 Million in Supplemental Budget for Heroin Treatment