50% state share: Yes (required). State law requires the Opioid Recovery and Remediation Advisory Council to “solicit feedback … from stakeholders, local providers, advocates, individuals with lived experience with opioid use disorders, including people who have or are in recovery from an opioid use disorder and family members of people with an opioid use disorder, the academic community, individuals with expertise in areas related to substance use disorders, community groups, and members of the public, regarding the services needed to prevent and treat substance use disorders across the State.”[1] Here are examples of ways the state government has sought feedback on uses for its share:
Public portal. The state maintains a public portal for submission of public input, which was open through October 2022. This webpage contains a summary of findings and testimony from that process [2] The state has indicated its intent to periodically reopen the portal “when necessary.”[3] In the meantime, you can email a letter or statement to the Opioid Recovery and Remediation Advisory Council at OpioidSettlement@dhs.nj.gov.[4]
Public meetings. The Advisory Council held a series of public meetings in Summer 2023 in Camden, Essex and Mercer counties, as well as virtually. Community members were able to provide input at these meetings and videos of the virtual sessions are available here.[5]
Council meetings. The Advisory Council is only required to meet “at such frequencies as … required by the Governor as well as at the call of the [Advisory Council’s] chairperson.”[6] The state’s opioid settlements website does not link to its meetings calendar;[7] email the Advisory Council at OpioidSettlement@dhs.nj.gov.[8]
50% local share: Generally, yes. Though local governments are not required to seek public input as to opioid settlement spending specifically, New Jersey’s Open Public Meetings Act requires municipal governing bodies to dedicate a portion of each of their meetings for public comments.[9] Take advantage of this requirement by showing up to meetings of your city council, board of county commissioners, or local health department. Localities may also independently create opportunities for public input on opioid settlement spending. See, e.g., Somerset County’s Opioid Settlement Survey.
Yes. Visit this website to learn more about current funding opportunities from the state’s 50% share.[10] Local governments may create grant programs to distribute their share of funds. The existence, parameters, and processes for local settlement grant programs will vary by locality, so stay alert for new opportunities. Visit the Opioid Settlement Community Grants Portal (OpioidSettlementTracker.com and Legal Action Center) for the most up-to-date information on settlement grant opportunities for community organizations.
For updates on the state share, visit the state’s opioid settlements website, including its News page.
For updates on the local share, see the state’s opioid settlements website's Reports page, which links to subdivisions’ annual reports and examples of strategic plans. To find other updates on the local share, a good starting point is to check the websites for your board of county commissioners, city/town council, or local health department. Alcohol and Drug Use Directors for each county can also be found here.
Only “public bod[ies]” that are “organized by law” and “collectively empowered as a multi-member voting body to spend public funds or affect persons' rights” are formally subject to the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act (i.e., “The Sunshine Law”).[11] This means that the Opioid Recovery and Remediation Advisory Council and local advisory bodies created merely to advise on opioid settlement spend may not automatically come within its purview.[12]
N.J. Stat. Sec. 26:2G-40(a)(2). ↑
Public Portal. State of New Jersey website. Accessed September 1, 2024. ↑
Public Portal. State of New Jersey website. Accessed September 1, 2024. ↑
Frequently Asked Questions. State of New Jersey website. Accessed September 1, 2024 (see “Will there be public listening sessions or public input?”). ↑
Frequently Asked Questions. State of New Jersey website. Accessed September 1, 2024 (see “Will there be public listening sessions or public input?”). ↑
N.J. Stat. Sec. 26:2G-40(d). ↑
If you notice this change, email tips@opioidsettlementtracker.com. ↑
Frequently Asked Questions. State of New Jersey website. Accessed September 1, 2024 (see “Will there be public listening sessions or public input?”). ↑
N.J. Stat. Sec. 10:4-12(a) (“a municipal governing body … shall be required to set aside a portion of every meeting of the municipal governing body … the length of the portion to be determined by the municipal governing body … for public comment on any governmental … issue that a member of the public feels may be of concern to the residents of the municipality…”). ↑
Funding Opportunities Through Settlement Dollars. State of New Jersey website. Accessed September 1, 2024. ↑
N.J. Stat. Sec. 10:4-7. ↑
Compare N.J. Stat. Sec. 10:4-7 (providing that “informal or purely advisory bodies with no effective authority are not covered” by the state Open Public Meetings Act) with Bylaws of the Opioid Recovery and Remediation Advisory Council, Article IV. March 16, 2023 (“Public meetings of the Council may be subject to the open public meetings requirements of the Open Public Meetings Act (N.J.S.A.10:4-6 et al)”). ↑