On February 28, 2024, Associate Policy Director Sarah Sample testified before the House Health and Government Operations Committee in opposition to HB 980- Public Health- Opioid Restitution Advisory Council and Fund- Revisions. This bill adds additional requirements around the use and reporting of funds from the state opioid settlements.
The emotional, physical, and financial damage inflicted on communities across Maryland by the opioid crisis is almost incalculable. The remediation efforts, while extensive, may never allow families and individuals to recover what they’ve lost. Federal, state, and local governments, as well as community stakeholders, are the cornerstone of the progress that can be achieved.
HB 980 adds redundant standards, procedures, and requirements that have the potential to conflict with and, in some instances, counter the existing legal mandates in current law. Further, the bill creates a mandate for the State to set aside 25 percent of the Opioid Restitution Fund for community-based recovery organizations, rather than requiring that their grant applications be considered amongst the entire competitive pool of applicants, including local governments.
HB 980’s cross-file, SB 751, was heard on March 1, 2024 in the Senate Finance Committee. Sarah Sample testified in opposition to this bill.
SB 751 was heard in the opposite chamber, the House Health and Government Operations Committee, on March 27. MACo submitted testimony in opposition to this bill.
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