Advisory Bodies
Has the state established an advisory body for settlement funds?
Yes. The Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee (OSAC) was created by state law to approve allocations from the 85% Opioid Settlement Fund.[1] OSAC is responsible for “[r]ecommend[ing] and approv[ing] . . . criteria for the application, awarding, and disbursement” of this share.[2] It is also empowered to “recommend and approve goals, objectives . . . sustainability plans, and performance indicators” across three key areas:
Substance use disorder prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction efforts, including “methods of engaging persons who utilize harm reduction program services in treatment and recovery.”
Reducing disparities in access to services and supports.
Improving health outcomes in “traditionally underserved populations, including, but not limited to, persons who live in rural or tribal communities, are members of racial or ethnic minorities or were formerly incarcerated.”[3]
Recipients of Opioid Settlement Fund monies are required to report their expenditures to OSAC,[4] as are municipalities, who receive their 15% share directly.[5] The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) is required to maintain a website that hosts OSAC’s meetings minutes, various reports, and policies.[6]
Although state law requires OSAC to hold public meetings at least quarterly,[7] in practice it has convened every other month.[8]
Is the state advisory body required to include member(s) with lived and/or living experience?
Not necessarily (individuals or family members). State law requires the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services to appoint “three individuals with experience living with a substance use disorder or family members of an individual with experience living with a substance use disorder” to the OSAC.[9] This means that the OSAC’s membership requirements could be satisfied without the inclusion of an individual who themselves have lived and/or living experience.
What is the overall membership of the state advisory body?
The composition of the forty five-member (45) Opioid Settlement Advisor Committee (OSAC) is established by state law:[10]
Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management or their designee[11]
State Attorney General or their designee[12]
Commissioners of Children and Families, Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Public Health or their designees[13]
Various legislative leaders (8 total):
President Pro Tempore of the Connecticut Senate and Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives
Majority and minority leaders of each chamber
Chairpersons and ranking members of the Appropriations Committee and Public Health Committee in each chamber[14]
Twenty-three (23) municipal representatives, appointed by the Governor[15]
Executive Director of the Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health, or their designee[16]
Eight (8) individuals appointed by the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services, including:
Provider of community-based substance use treatment services for adults and provider of community-based substance use treatment for adolescents (both non-voting)[17]
Addiction medicine-licensed health care professional with prescribing authority (non-voting)[18]
Three (3) individuals with lived experience of substance use disorder or family members of individuals with such experience[19]
Two (2) individuals with experience supporting “infants and children affected by the opioid crisis”[20]
Members of the OSAC generally serve two-year terms and may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms, and any member can be removed by their appointing authority for “misfeasance, malfeasance, or wil[l]ful neglect of duty.”[21] The current OSAC roster can be found here.
Are local governments required to establish a settlement advisory body? If so, are local advisory bodies required to include member(s) with lived and/or living experience?
No (up to each locality). Municipalities in Connecticut are not required to establish opioid settlement advisory bodies. However, municipalities may independently choose to establish advisory councils that include members with lived and/or living experience to help ensure that settlement spending reflects community priorities.
What else should I know?
Not applicable.
Citations
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(f)(3). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(f)(1). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(f)(2). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(h) (requiring expenditure reporting from recipients of the Opioid Settlement Fund’s 85% share). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674c(e) (requiring expenditure reporting from municipalities for their 15% share). Letter to State Legislative Leaders “Re: Opioid Distributors/Johnson & Johnson Settlement.” Office of the Attorney General of Connecticut. August 3, 2021 (“The proceeds of the settlement will be distributed as follows: 85% will be distributed to the state and 15% to municipalities who sign on to the settlement agreements. (The 85% distributed to the state consists of 70% for prospective abatement efforts only, and the remaining 15% is intended for abatement generally)”). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(j). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(i). ↑
See CT Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee (“Meetings”). Connecticut State Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services website. Accessed September 1, 2024 (displaying meeting dates since 2023). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. §Sec. 17a-674d(b)(7)(D) (emphasis added). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(b)(1)-(7). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(b)(1). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(b)(2). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(b)(3). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(b)(4). Interestingly, the legislative members of OSAC may be represented by those members’ designees, but only if “such persons have experience living with a substance use disorder or are the family member of a person who has experience living with substance use disorder.” Id. ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(b)(5). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(b)(6). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(b)(7)(A)-(B). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(b)(7)(C). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(b)(7)(D) ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(b)(7)(E). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(e). A member may continue to serve even after their term expires “until a successor is appointed.” Id. ↑
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