15% Local Share
Where do these monies live?
Connecticut’s 15% local share is distributed directly to its municipalities.[1]
What can this share be spent on?
This share must be spent on abatement uses described in the national settlement agreements’ (non-exhaustive) Exhibit E, which includes prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery, and other strategies.[2]
Who ultimately decides how to spend this share (and how)?
Localities decide autonomously (but must report expenditures to Connecticut Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee). Decisionmakers for the municipalities will ultimately decide for themselves how to spend their monies on Exhibit E uses.[3] See, e.g., New Haven (reporting city’s uses of direct shares on grants to community health centers), New London (reporting on mayor’s intent to ask city’s council to establish a dedicated fund).
Are supplantation uses prohibited for this share?
No, supplantation is not prohibited. Connecticut does not explicitly prohibit supplantation uses of opioid settlement funds from its municipalities share. This means that local governments’ opioid settlement funds may be spent in ways that replace (or “supplant”) — rather than supplement — existing resources.
Can I see how this share has been spent?
Yes (public reporting required). View annual municipal settlement proceeds reports on the Connecticut Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee’s (OSAC) website. Municipalities that directly receive settlement funds must submit an annual expenditure report to the OSAC,[4] and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services must publish these reports on its website.[5]
Visit OpioidSettlementTracker.com’s Expenditure Report Tracker for an updated collection of states’ and localities’ available expenditure reports.
What else should I know?
Not applicable.
Citations
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)”). ↑
Letter to Chief Executive Officers and Counsel for Litigating Municipalities “Re: Settlement Agreement with Pharmaceutical Distributors and Johnson & Johnson: Guidance for Municipalities.” Cara Passaro, Chief Counsel to the Attorney General and Director of Legislative Affairs. July 21, 2021 (“How are the funds to be used by municipalities? Funds are to be used exclusively for opioid abatement purposes, including, but not limited to, expanding access to opioid use disorder prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery options”). See also Distributor Settlement Agreement, Sec. I.SS (“Exhibit E provides a non-exhaustive list of expenditures that qualify as being paid for Opioid Remediation. Qualifying expenditures may include reasonable related administrative expenses”). ↑
Attorney General Tong Announces Arrival of $13.5 Million to Connecticut from $26 Billion Opioid Distributor Settlement. Office of the Attorney General of Connecticut press release. October 26, 2022. Accessed August 13, 2024 (“Fifteen percent of the settlement funds are going directly to cities and towns, with the remaining 85 percent going to the state”). See also Kevin Maloney. With CCM’s assistance, Connecticut towns and cities will receive at least $300 million in funding from national settlement on opioid costs. Connecticut Conference of Municipalities press release. No publication date available. Accessed August 13, 2024 (“we are grateful that towns and cities will receive the maximum payments – at least $300 million over the next 18 years … In October, CCM’s Board of Directors formed the Special Committee on Opioids Settlement to offer guidance to towns and cities on the receipt and dissemination of funds through the National Opioids Settlement”). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674c(e). ↑
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(j)(4) (“The department shall create and maintain an Internet web site where the committee shall publish … reports received from municipalities pursuant to subsection (e) of section 17a-674c”). ↑
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